Olympic athlete Jorinde van Klinken has said she wants to set up a mentoring scheme for young athletes who are confronted with 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 that athletes recognise the early signs of things going from bad to worse.”

“Athletes and coaches need to recognise their boundaries so that they create a safe climate 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 boundaries on the eve of a major shot put competition in Seattle.

Although she won the contest, she said it triggered a major panic attack and revived memories of her earlier trauma. But this time when she reported the man’s behaviour the sporting authorities took her account seriously and the physiotherapist was dismissed.

 

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“In the Netherlands I never had the feeling 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 issue.

“I think it varies per person,” she said. “Some people have experienced similar things, others think it’s a long way from their own backyard, so they’re less willing to talk about it.

“Someone has to try it”

“But we’ve absolutely talked about it, because there are enough 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 it,” she said.

Van Klinken said there were wide variations in how the authorities in different sports protected athletes from sexual harassment and grooming.

“Some governing bodies are really working on it but there are others that don’t think it’s an issue or say taking measures will make the climate worse. There is still a long way to go.”