Entire board of the Dutch Triathlon Association resigns

The entire board of the Dutch Triathlon Association (NTB) resigns. The reason for todays resignations is a report by research agency Fijbes into social safety centring on the question of transgressive behaviour at the national training centre. 

In April this year, at the insistence of a number of top athletes and the Centrum Veilige Sport Nederland, the triathlon association decided to conduct an independent investigation. The athletes indicated that the NTB had repeatedly ignored signals from athletes. 

The researchers concluded that there is insufficient social safety within the top sports program of the NTB. The report discusses group formation, exclusion, gossip and bullying. The researchers’ advice is to intervene in the short term to increase social safety and the researchers came up with a number of  recommendations. 

In mid-October, the daily Dutch newspaper Trouw reported on the basis of conversations with ten former triathletes that athletes had been exposed to transgressive behaviour for years. There would be a culture of fear, physical and mental neglect or abuse and abuse of power by coaches and counsellors. 

In response to the resignations, Wim van Oijen, departing chairman of the board of the NTB says “In the interest of top sport, the board is now making room for a new board that is not hindered by the past and can go into the future with new confidence and a fresh look,”  

The NTB has appointed Rita van Driel as independent social safety adviser with immediate effect.