Jan Rijpstra was a lecturer at several Higher Institutes in the Netherlands. He also worked as a teacher PE in several secondary schools. In 1994 he became a Member of Parliament (House of Representatives) and was re-elected several times until 2005. From April 2005 till May 2008 he was Mayor of Tynaarlo in the northern part of Holland.
He also held high positions in a number Dutch sports organisations. Jan Rijpstra studied the role of the Dutch Parliament in sports policy and gives lectures about sports policy. He now lives in Switzerland and has founded Rijpstra Consultancy that deals with Sports policy, Sport development and Physical Education.
