Which of the following statements about the Elfstedentocht is NOT TRUE?

参考解析：

细节理解题。根据第四段第一句“The race only takes place when conditions allow; when extreme winter bowls over the region, the temperatures drop, and the canals freeze over.”可知，比赛必须在极端的冬季来临，气温下降，运河结冰时才能举行，所以对冰的质量要求很高，A项正确；根据第三段第三句“The 110-year-old event is wildly popular—the next race is expected to attract 26,000 participants, 2million spectators and 3, 000 journalists and will surely draw the attention of nearly every person in the country”可知，这项已有110年历史的赛事非常受欢迎。下一场比赛预计将吸引2.6万名参赛者、200万名观众和3000名记者，并必将引起全国几乎所有人的注意，B项正确；根据第三段第三句“The 110-year-old event is wildly popular”可推出，该运动大约起源于1900s，而不是1800s，故C项错误；根据第四段第二句“But the Netherlands is no longer a romantic wintry wonderland, and there hasn’t been an Elfstedentocht since 1997”可知，荷兰自从1997年开始就没再举行过这个比赛了，D项正确。故选C。