Olympic athlete plans workshops on dealing with sexual abuse

Olympic athlete Jorinde van Klinken has said she wants to set up a mentorship program for young athletes facing sexual harassment, after revealing she moved to the United States to escape an abusive situation.

The 24-year-old, who won silver in the discus and shot put at this year’s European Championships, said she wanted to “give people more knowledge so athletes can spot the early signs that things are going from bad to worse.”

“Athletes and coaches must recognize their limits, so that they can create a safe environment together,” Van Klinken told NPO Radio 1.

She contrasted her experience in the Netherlands, which led her to leave the country in 2020, with an incident in 2022 when a physiotherapist overstepped her bounds on the eve of a major shot put competition in Seattle.

Although she won the competition, she said it caused a major panic attack and revived memories of her previous trauma. But this time when she reported the man’s behavior, the sports authorities took her story seriously and the physiotherapist was fired.

“In the Netherlands I never had the feeling that I was heard or understood. The way people reacted at the time contributed to my trauma,” she said.

Van Klinken said she wanted to run a series of workshops to encourage athletes to come forward with their personal experiences and break the silence around the subject.

“I think it varies from person to person,” she says. “Some people have experienced similar things, others think it’s far away from their own backyard, so they’re less willing to talk about it.

“Someone has to try”

“But we definitely talked about it because there are plenty of stories that have come out in all kinds of different sports.

“It’s extremely difficult, but on the other hand I feel like someone has to try,” she said.

Van Klinken said there were major differences in how authorities in different sports protected athletes from sexual harassment and grooming.

“Some administrative bodies are really working on it, but there are also others who don’t see it as a problem or say that taking measures will only make the climate worse. There is still a long way to go.”