The infield of Amsterdam's picturesque Olympisch Stadion was the stage for thousands of Live Earth participants on Sunday 18 April. But the stadium -- site of the 1928 Olympics -- also provided an epic backdrop for the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands -- His Royal Highness Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange -- to take part in the 6K run.

Prince Willem-Alexander has long been a supporter of clean water projects and before the event on Sunday, discussed the importance of funding solutions to the global water crisis to the media.

The following summary of the Prince's remarks comes from our partners at akvo.org:

Dutch water sector trade magazine H2O has just published a series of quotes about Akvo from Prince Willem-Alexander, the Prince of Orange. The comments dominate an Akvo article written following the Unicef World Water Day matchmaking event in Rotterdam last month.

The Prince of Orange chairs the UN’s advisory board on water and sanitation – so we’re delighted to get this kind of feedback from the highest level of intergovernmental leadership. Describing Akvo in some detail, the article cuts to the chase on his views:

Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander is very enthusiastic about this particular project. “The beauty of Akvo is that it appeals to all generations, particularly the younger ones,” he explains.

“It is also a great example of genuine commitment. I have a lot of admiration for entrepreneurs who had nothing to do with the water sector but realised that they could make a major contribution to the sanitation problem with their knowledge. They put everything else aside to help others. I think that is marvellous.”

It gets better:

Willem-Alexander is of the opinion that the project has the potential to develop into one of the largest in the water and sanitation area. “This is because you will be able to follow your chosen project closely. Photos, film clips and blogs are much clearer than words alone in portraying the actual meaning of poor sanitation.”

His views on the action needed to speed up implementation of Millennium Development Goals related to clean drinking water and proper sanitation can be read here, when he spoke in Delhi in October.

Many thanks to Anke for the Dutch-English translation.