That is what technical director Vincent Kortbeek says on Tuesday in response to an article in the newspaper Fidelityin which bobsledder Karlien Sleper indicates that she has felt unsafe with her coach for a long time.
“In October, during a training camp in Yanqing, we already received signals that the cooperation was not going well,” says Kortbeek. “I was not there, but we already agreed to sit down with each other immediately upon return and solve the problem. That’s what happened, I’ve been added as her coach. Sleper and De La Hunty have no personal problems either, they get along well. Only he is no longer her coach.”
Relationship skewed
In the interview with the newspaper, Sleper, who finished sixteenth at the Games in the monobob, says: “I always thought: never mind, otherwise we will have another eruption. Letting go is just not normal, I now know.”
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Kortbeek describes it as a relationship between coach and athlete that was skewed. “That’s where it went wrong. I also agree. That really didn’t go well. Apparently she experienced that as unsafe,” said the technical director. “I can say it’s never been unsafe, but you and I don’t like it. I also think it’s good that these kinds of stories and situations are told, I would never want to stop that.”
No harassment or threats
The former inhibitor in the bob of pilot Arend Glas personally thinks it is a shame that Sleper now brings the story out in this way. “Because De La Hunty is now being portrayed as someone who causes trouble. Other bobbers work with him satisfactorily, just like us as a federation. It had nothing to do with intimidation or threats or whatever, but with his directive way of coaching. She didn’t dare go against him, even though she wanted to.”
Kortbeek continues: „The culture that we use in the sledding world is not one of the staff and federation determine everything and otherwise we will kick you out. That is absolutely not the case.”
When asked about the Sleper case, Maurits Hendriks, technical director of NOC*NSF, says: “It is very good that athletes speak out, also about their training environment. We all want to win a lot, but not at all costs. A few years ago, during the National Coach Platform, we spent a whole day talking about integrity and sport. It is something that must be constantly brought to the attention.”