Harassment, exclusion and incitement to serious weight loss. Just some conclusions from the tough report about the abuses at the Dutch Triathlon Association (NTB). Triathlete Maya Kingma (26) from Breda addressed the problems and is happy that there is finally recognition. “But even for me it was still shocking to read.”
It is a day that Kingma, who finished 11th in the Olympic Games last year, will not soon forget. After years of talking to deaf ears, the report on transgressive behavior within the NTB has now hit like a bomb.
“I went to read it without too many expectations beforehand. But it turned out to be an emotional rollercoaster. I knew there was a lot going on, you don’t play it for nothing. But when you see how intense it was for so many athletes, shocking.”
“Trainers also participated in bullying and excluding athletes.”
Kingma herself ended up at the National Training Center in Sittard at the age of 17. The doubts soon arose. “I came out of swimming and I did pretty well there. But in Sittard I quickly had my doubts about the quality of the training sessions and the dedication of the trainer. But yes, you are proud that you have been selected, so you think that it’s up to you.”
But after a year and a half, her performance went downhill. “Then you start to think again: I was very good at home, now I suddenly no longer participate. Not even in the swimming area.” And also outside the training sessions the atmosphere was not as it should be. “You saw that trainers also participated in bullying and excluding athletes. Or at least let it happen.”
The turning point came when Kingma went to college. “While that was actually not allowed and was only tolerated. There I came into contact with people who were not in that culture. With a healthier view of it. They said: ‘But Maya, isn’t this very crazy?'”
That eye opener finally made her decide to leave the training center in Sittard after four years. “It took me a long time to gather enough guts. After all, you have to tell your parents and everyone you support. And you wonder what it means for your career. You just have to trust that it will be okay if you stay to perform. Fortunately, I succeeded.”
“I’ve had a lot of crying athletes on the line.”
But even after her departure, Kingma heard and saw how the behavior at the training center did not change. On the contrary: “Certainly in 2020 I had a lot of crying athletes on the line. When the competitions were canceled due to corona, they only noticed how lonely they were.”
At that time, Kingma was now chairman of the association’s athletes’ committee. From that role she tried to address the problems. “But actually I knew in advance that it was pointless. When I left Sittard myself a few years before, I also asked for an open and mature conversation with the management. But that was refused.”
“I’d much rather be praised for my achievements.”
Little or nothing has changed in this attitude in recent years. “In the end, we took the story to external parties, such as the athletes’ committee of NOC*NSF and Centrum Veilige Sport. We heard that if we really wanted to achieve something, we had to step down from anonymity. But doesn’t that immediately end your career? “
A survey turned out to be the golden solution. “That’s how it was all black and white. And finally we get some recognition.”
Although she would have preferred to see it in a different way. “I never expected to be in the newspaper as a whistleblower. You would much rather be praised for your performance. And we also wanted to solve it constructively, without the press. But these results are so intense, no one closes their eyes to that.”