Fmr. Minister to lead investigation into sex abuse in sports

Former Minister Klaas de Vries will head a three member committee that will investigate sexual abuse in sports. Dutch Olympic Committee and sports organization NOC*NSF deliberately chose the PvdA man because he is not part of the sports world in any way and will therefore not have any conflict of interest, sources told the Volkskrant.

NOC*NSF announced late last year that they will be investigating sexual abuse in the sports world following big revelations about abuse in British football. This led to concerns about Dutch victims who never spoke up about what happened to them. The investigation will span the past 30 years.

"It is important for the sports world to be familiar with its own history", NOC*NSF CEO Gerard Dielessen said to the Volkskrant. The burden that sexual abuse victims carry with them is very heavy and Dielessen hopes that this investigation will offer support to athletes who want to come forward with their stories. In 2015 the organization received 215 reports of sexual abuse from athletes.

In the past De Vries was chairman of the Social Economic Council, Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and Minister of Home Affairs. The 73-year-old politician previously investigated financial irregularities at ADO Den Haag.

The other two members of the committee will be another politician and a former judge. NOC*NSF will announce their names alter on Wednesday.