Sports Minister cuts debate short to catch flight to Qatar World Cup; MP's irritated

Sports Minister Conny Helder’s departure to Qatar led to a great deal of irritation and discomfort in the lower house of the Dutch parliament on Monday evening. The Minister was still answering MPs’ questions about the Thialf ice stadium when she indicated that she only had four minutes left because she had to catch a plane. By then, the Tweede Kamer had already spent six hours working on the sports budget and had yet to start the second term.

SP, PvdA, and PVV insisted that the Minister stay and finish the debate, all the more because she was going to the World Cup in Qatar despite parliament being against a government representative at the tournament.

SP parliamentarian Michiel van Nispen threatened, "if the Minister leaves the debate now, I don’t want her to come back. Then we want a real Minister of sports.” He thought that the Kamer should take itself seriously and should not let “a Minister just walk out of a debate and then also for a reason that the majority of the Kamer said: don’t. What does this Minister do? She still goes. And she will also walk out of this debate.”

VVD MP Rudmer Heerema spoke up for the Minister because debates often get suspended due to time constraints. However, he also felt “very unhappy with how things are going.” CDA chairman Inge van Dijk felt “uncomfortable,” but according to her, it is important to conclude the debate properly, so at a later date.

Minister Helder said the parliamentarians knew in advance that she couldn’t stay later than 11:30 p.m. Otherwise, the itinerary and preparations for her trip would be jeopardized. “You don’t care, but I do.” According to her, it is not about unwillingness towards the Kamer. “And I think it’s very rude of you to say that and that I don’t have to come back.” Helder said she takes her work as Minister of Sports “extremely seriously.” The debate will continue on Thursday.

Earlier in the debate, D66 parliamentarian Jeanet van der Laan gave Helder a OneLove armband so that “she at least has it in her possession.” The Minister stressed to the Kamer that she fully supports the initiative and the message behind the armband, but she did not want to say whether she would wear it during the match. “I’ll see what I’m going to wear. But I’m not going to say anything about it now,” said Helder. She hopes that “the Netherlands will perform well and participate appropriately.”

Ministers of Germany and Belgium wore the armband during matches of their national teams this past week, even sitting next to FIFA president Gianni Infantino on the terrace of honor. The football World Cup is controversial because Qatar violates migrant workers’ and LGBTQIA+ people’s human rights. The OneLove armband stands for human rights and against all forms of racism and discrimination.