The Research Office Ferienorm will present a report on the nature and extent of unacceptable behavior in Dutch gymnastics on Wednesday at 10:00.
Researchers Marjan Olvers (Professor of Sports and Law) and Anton Van Wijk (both at an Integrity and Social Safety Research and Consulting firm) focused on both sport and recreational sports on behalf of the KNGU Gymnastics Federation.
The immediate cause was the Netflix documentary Athlete aAbout the abuse scandal in the United States surrounding sports physician Larry Nassar and reports of violations in gymnastics worldwide. The Croatian National Trade Union announced the investigation in mid-July.
Not long after, Dutch gymnastics coach Gerrit Beltman admitted that he had offended and insulted young gymnasts while training for years.
This has led to numerous statements by former Dutch gymnasts, in which other coaches have also been accused of aggressive behavior. A number of them have reported abuses before, but the accused coaches have been active for years.
Reporting has to change the culture
The independent research, funded by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports, focused on determining the nature, scope, and approach of unacceptable behavior in both elite and recreational sports, among minors and adults, in all disciplines of sports sports. The results are anonymous and guided by a series of recommendations.
The investigation is separate from the pending disciplinary cases at the Institute of Sports Justice (ISR). The National Confederation of Congolese Trade Unions and Centrum Veilige Sport Nederland have passed around seventy complaints to the ISR, involving a total of around 25 coaches. Former national team coach Gerben has been acquitted and redesigned this week.
The Federation of Trade Unions will respond to the report on Wednesday. This is what Monique Kempf (Chairman), Mariki van der Blas (Director) and Mark Meger (Art Director) do. The report should lead to further cultural change within the sport.
