Last Updated on August 26, 2026 by pg@petergamma.org
The Ahoy Arena has a capacity of 16 000 people, making it one of the largest multi-purpose arenas in the Netherlands.
2015 Women’s European Volleyball Championship Final at Ahoy Arena
The Dalai Lama – “Eight Verses of Training the Mind” at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on September 17, 2018.
Why did 16 000 people visit the talk of the Dalai Lama?
Is it since Tibet produces not the world best football players, but the World Great Spiritual Masters“?
Do so many Tibetans live in the Netherlands? No.
- The Tibetan community in the Netherlands is estimated to number of around 1 000 people.
- In Switzerland we had in 2009 2 500 Tibetans. But according to another source there are over 7 500 people in the country[2], These numbers are eventually newer. Tibetans make up the second largest East Asian immigrant group in Switzerland after Filipinos.
[2] : www.voices-ngo.ch.
- France is home to approximately 8 000 to 20 000 Tibetans, making it one of the largest Tibetan communities in Western Europe.
- The Tibetan community in Belgium is estimated to number between 3 000 and 6 000 individuals, with Antwerp being the most densely populated city for Tibetans outside of India.
- An estimated 700 to 1 000 Tibetans live in exile in Germany, with the majority concentrated in Munich (approx. 300), Hamburg (approx. 200), as well as Cologne, Bonn, and Frankfurt.
According to estimates by the Tibetan government-in-exile, approximately 128 000 Tibetans were living in exile in 2009:[5]
| Tibeter im Exil | |
|---|---|
| Indien | 85.000 |
| Nepal | 14.000 |
| Kanada und USA | 7.000 |
| Bhutan | 1.600 |
| Schweiz | 2.500 |
| Republik China (Taiwan) | 1.000 |
| restliches Europa | 640 |
| Australien und Neuseeland | 220 |
| Skandinavien | 110 |
| Japan | 60 |
These data are from 2009. For more recent data search for it in the web.
Tenzin Gyatso, also known as the 14th Dalai Lama, is widely regarded as the most realized and globally recognized Tibetan Buddhist master. He is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his advocacy of non-violence and compassion.
While the title Dalai Lama refers to a lineage of reincarnate lamas considered emanations of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, the 14th Dalai Lama is distinguished by his global visibility and extensive teachings on interreligious understanding and secular ethics.
He has authored over 72 books and established a Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala, India, after fleeing Tibet in 1959.