Elite athletes in the Netherlands struggle with safety, pressure, and mental health

A quarter of all Dutch elite-level sporters experience transgressive behavior which causes them to feel unsafe in their sport. “They experienced something that was serious or less serious, but was nonetheless perceived as undesirable behavior,” said researcher Marjan Olfers during the presentation of the investigation into elite sports culture in the Netherlands at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Gossiping and verbal abuse were the most occurring issues, but Olfers said there were also cases regarding discrimination and sexual abuse. “Relatively speaking, the situation isn’t too bad, and in most cases, the behavior is verbal in nature. But there are still elite athletes who are really struggling.”

One in five elite-level sporters do not feel mentally healthy. This percentage is around the same as the entirety of the Netherlands, but the researchers were still shocked by the fact that many elite-level sporters do not feel welcome in their profession and do not experience the cohesion of the group.

“The constant pressure to deliver, and difficulty handling the moments that squads and teams are announced are often the reasons for this,” said one of the researchers, Anton van Wijk. According to Olfers, one consequence of these mental problems is that, on average, top athletes experience many sleep problems.

Olfers was moved by the fact that there are still so many athletes who feel discriminated against. "If we want to grow as a sports nation, we have to do something about that. Athletes must be welcome in sports and feel that bond."

The Dutch elite-level sports culture is also tough, Van Wijk said. "The athletes are tough on themselves. They keep injuries to themselves and don't want to be known as a wimp, certainly not among fellow athletes. They don't want to show that they're not feeling well and are feeling a little pain."

It was also revealed in the study that the reasons for sporters to play at an elite level are not medals and prize money but intrinsic motivation. "Our athletes identify with their sport. The drive is to set goals and improve. Winning medals is in ninth place," Van Wijk said.

That research is unparalleled worldwide, said Olfers. "It is unique in the world," she said about the 474-page report. The research was conducted over four years.

More than 1,250 top athletes, 220 coaches, and 90 former athletes completed an extensive questionnaire, and 470 interviews were conducted. "Anonymous, independent and critical," Van Wijk described it as. 26 associations participated, and it included a total of 63 sports disciplines.