Former Dutch women’s wheelchair coach given contact ban after sexual misconduct reports

A five-year contact ban has been imposed on a former Dutch basketball staff member following a disciplinary investigation into reports of sexually inappropriate behavior, manipulation, and intimidation. The sanction, issued by the Institute for Sports Justice (ISR), bars the individual from contacting seven complainants and is intended to restore safety for athletes, according to the body.

NOS has reported that the case involves former wheelchair basketball women’s head coach Gertjan van der Linden, though the NBB has not confirmed this. Under his leadership, the Dutch team won Paralympic gold in 2021 and 2024. He is currently head coach of Italy’s men’s wheelchair basketball team.

The Dutch Basketball Association (NBB) has also ended the individual’s membership, meaning he can no longer hold any role within Dutch basketball. The federation said the decision followed multiple investigations into the allegations.

By the end of 2024, the NBB had received 14 reports concerning the former employee, prompting the ISR to launch disciplinary proceedings. The association also carried out its own independent fact-finding investigation, completed in mid-2025.

NBB director Maarten Hoffer said the organization regrets that warning signs were not addressed sooner and that safeguards have since been strengthened, including updated codes of conduct and a greater role for confidential advisers. “It was a major step for those involved to report the transgressive behaviour,” Hoffer said. “I would like to once again express my appreciation for the courage of these women to speak out.”

The individual had already been barred from working within Dutch basketball since the end of 2024 under a precautionary measure due to the seriousness of the allegations.

In a joint statement to NOS, the complainants said the sanction does not fully reflect the severity of the case. “Although it is a severe sanction, we still question whether this measure is proportionate to the seriousness of the facts and the extent of the damage,” they said.

They also described a pattern of control and manipulation. “We were set against one another and against the basketball federation. No one was considered trustworthy except him,” the statement said.