A spanish triathlon website reports that Maya Kingma has been going through some rough times with her dutch teammates feeling bullied and threatened after Tokyo Olympics by the rest of the team back then (Klamer, Van Egdom, Van der Stel) as well as coaches. It also adds she will stay alone at an Airbnb paid by the dutch committee and refuses to travel by official bus and will use the public metro.
It doesn’t explain what the issue is. Anyone aware of it?
I haven’t heard anything, but could imagine a scenario where they wish her to be a domestic in the race, and for go her chances?? I assume Klamer is in, so could be to hold her back and pull her up to the lead group, instead of letting her hammer in her usual spot on the front, thus giving herself a better chance at her race placings???
That certainly would piss me off, especially since it looks like her run has come around it appears…
I found the original source:
https://3athlon.nl/maya-kingma-nog-steeds-gepest-en-bedreigd-slaapt-als-enige-buiten-atletendorp-olympische-spelen/
Doesn’t clarify much either.
Come on man, give us some sort of translation if you are going to post an article in dutch… (-;
I don’t know any Dutch but I know how to right click and translate 😜
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It goes back a long way, see https://3athlon.nl/voormalig-topatleten-luiden-noodklok-angstcultuur-wanbeleid-en-pesterijen-bij-ntc/
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I am spanish too and I read that piece of news. Seems that some people in the dutch federation were bullying her, in her words, although Klamer and her husband kind of think it is a bit dramatized.
So, the woman seems to be out of the olympic village to avoid her teammates. Not the best way to spend the olympics.
Nothing to add regarding the gossip, but did find it interesting Klarmer had a good race in Hamburg despite being generally nowhere the last few years, I think she does do better in sprint stuff though.
It was a very big scandal a few years ago and it involved several athletes who complained about the situation under the Dutch Triathlon Union. A lot of members of the board and coaches left (or were asked to leave) the team so I am very surprised to read in the news the situation has not really changed (at least for one athlete) since then. If this is also about the situation between athletes (which it looks like to be according to the news) this is even more worrying… maybe some athletes ‘rule’ the whole situation for their advance … ? Needs serious and proper investigation again imo.
It goes back a long way, see https://3athlon.nl/voormalig-topatleten-luiden-noodklok-angstcultuur-wanbeleid-en-pesterijen-bij-ntc/
this is what i was thinking of! seems like an ongoing peoblem …
FFS, can someone here tell us in English what the hell is going on? You all are talking to each other as if it is common knowledge what the issue is, but not once has anyone said one thing about this “ordeal” that Maya is having…
And what about Richard Murray, is he involved in this too?
No one here speaks Dutch, just use the “translate” feature in your browser.
FFS, can someone here tell us in English what the hell is going on? You all are talking to each other as if it is common knowledge what the issue is, but not once has anyone said one thing about this “ordeal” that Maya is having…
And what about Richard Murray, is he involved in this too?
It is from several years ago, nothing to do with Murray. She lost a whole season to injury and said she was working on mental health issues. She claimed favouritism with NED federation against their other female athletes, also claimed she was humiliated/bullied (can’t remember what the nature was). I believe there was an investigation and some staff resigned.
She never named Klamar as receiving preferential treatment and there were other higher ranked athletes at that time.
https://www.triathlon.org/uploads/docs/Olympic_simulationF20210524.pdf
no there was no other high ranked dutch athelte you might confuse with a belgium athlete.
Thanks for that synopsis, I hope she can overcome whatever difficulties she is having. I like how she races and wish her the best, and she can be a huge ally for our US ladies in that lead group too. As long as she is working towards her own best race…
https://www.triathlon.org/...ulationF20210524.pdf
no there was no other high ranked dutch athelte you might confuse with a belgium athlete.
I believe her complaints are from 2013/2014 not the last Olympic cycle.
EDIT: I found one of the original articles but it appears there was a 2nd enquiry in 2021
Yes 2 inquires
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There is in fact new information / claims. Kingma was interviewed by Algemeen Dagblad (second largest newspaper in the Netherlands) this July. She said there was still bullying and she was “threatened by other athletes, who were not on her side” (Bedreigd zelfs, door ploeggenoten die niet aan haar kant stonden - maybe Dutch speakers can confirm the accuracy of the google translation).
Unpaywalled version:
https://archive.ph/...ection-1741.0-1818.0
Google translation:
Triathlete Maya Kingma also not in athletes’ village during Games: ‘See this as an emergency scenario’
With videoTriathlete Maya Kingma (28) is not in the Olympic village during the Games in Paris, like her teammates and staff, but is staying elsewhere in the city, in an Airbnb. And that’s not easy.
Take the metro to the race, instead of a special bus. The match discussion via FaceTime, or by telephone if necessary. But at least not in one room, together with the rest of the team, somewhere in the Olympic village. At least if it’s not about the relay.
It doesn’t sound very attractive. Certainly not if you want to excel at the Olympic Games. But for Maya Kingma it feels more than good. In fact, this is the only way for her to succeed.
It is a result of everything that happened to her. And not just during the Tokyo Games. Which she describes as ‘the worst two weeks of her life’. Kingma was in her element swimming, cycling and running. And she certainly didn’t perform badly, with an eleventh place.
But for now it is so much more relaxing and nicer than being forced to stay in a different environment
-Maya Kingma
But it was completely out of proportion to how Kingma felt outside of the race. She told me about it before. How she felt unsafe after she had reported the abuses at the top of the Dutch triathlon (read: physical and mental abuse and abuse of power by coaches and supervisors). That she was completely left to her own devices in Tokyo.
Culture of fear did not disappear
After the results of the Unraveling report, after which the triathlon association apologized in the summer of 2022, Kingma hoped that everything would turn out well. Yes, leaders left, including general manager Rembert Groenman, technical director Adrie Berk and national coach Jordi Meulenberg. And the association made a cultural change by appointing a confidential counselor. But the culture of fear did not disappear.
Kingma continued to feel so unsafe that she even doubted whether she would go to the Games. Because no one could tell her if she could work with her own coach in Paris. Which means she may have to be coached and supported again by a staff that never saw her and gave her appreciation.
“I don’t know if I want that. That very much depends on how the preconditions are set up,” said Kingma, who also said that she was still bullied and excluded. Threatened even, by teammates who were not on her side.
But the athlete from Deventer will go. Because they have found a solution. A joint physical preliminary meeting has been planned in the cycling hotel for the relay. But to avoid further difficult situations with teammates and staff, Kingma will not stay in the Olympic village, but at another location in Paris.
In an Airbnb, paid for by NOCNSF. Where she sits with her boyfriend Gijs Brouwer, who is also a kind of coach for her. At least if she is not in contact with Marcel Wouda, the former swimmer and since this year national coach at the NTB. With whom Kingma has good contact.
Kingma lacks Olympic atmosphere
As a result, Kingma misses the Olympic atmosphere. And maybe also a selfie with a famous athlete. But she doesn’t care. It is the only way, Kingma believes, which does not involve hero worship anyway.
Because it didn’t happen, Kingma didn’t have to think about it. But if NOCNSF, the national sports association with which she had regular discussions about this, had not given permission and she had to stay in the Olympic village anyway, she could easily have not gone. “I don’t know if it would have been useful to go.”
But it is possible. And that gives her relief. “I actually don’t want to be left out at all. Think of it as some kind of emergency scenario. But for now it is so much more relaxed and nicer than being forced to stay in a different environment." And it makes her stronger, this construction. Which is not new, because she is already in another hotel during the World Cup series. “How much stronger is difficult to say. But if you look purely at rest, fun and the mental aspect, this is an 80 percent improvement for me.”
Cheers Sheridan tris and kajet
I guess that makes it clearer to read the articles in English
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Ik weet het neit
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