Meet.. Milan Bakker and Thorsten Boldewijn

The office of the VA (Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit, the Dutch Martial Arts Authority) has recently been reinforced with two new interns. Milan Bakker focuses on the contact between the VA and the municipalities. Thorsten Boldewijn is working to improve the audits at gyms and events.

Milan Bakker is 22 and studies Sports Management and Entrepreneurship at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam). He is a third-year student and his six-month strategic internship revolves around the contact the VA has with municipalities. “The VA wants to maintain good and lasting contact with municipalities where martial arts events are held and where martial arts gyms are active. That helps municipalities, for instance when they have to assess permit applications. But it is also good for promoters, who can call on the VA if they run into problems. I am going to look at how this contact can be improved and how we can keep the lines between the VA and the municipalities short.”

Milan has practised martial arts himself since he was young. “I started punching bag training at the age of seven and immediately found kickboxing great fun. During secondary school I took up MMA at Gym Haarlem, and later at Fight IQ and Impact Fit. Because I find kickboxing just that little bit more enjoyable, I went back to it and these days I train at Southpaw. I have also been to Thailand twice for periods of a few months, mainly to train. A couple of years ago I fought two bouts and I am now looking into a third, which will be in the novice class. As preparation, but above all for my own enjoyment, I currently train six days a week.”

“After my studies I would also like to work in martial arts. Preferably in elite sport, although I do not yet know exactly in what role. It could be supporting athletes, but organising events appeals to me as well.”

Thorsten Boldewijn is 24 and approached the VA for his graduation internship in Integrated Safety and Security Management (Integrale Veiligheidskunde). His focus is on the audits the VA carries out at events and gyms.

“The VA audit team visits martial arts gyms holding the Keurmerk Vechtsportautoriteit (the VA quality mark) and martial arts events throughout the country. A great deal of experience has been gained by now, and there are ideas about how this process can be improved. I am going to talk with auditors, promoters and gym owners to collect their suggestions, and on that basis I will make proposals to revise the audits. Together with my colleagues at the office we will review the entire process. We also want to improve the handbook for the auditors, and examine whether we can put the questionnaires in an app. In addition, I will support the VA in everything that touches on the area of safety. I am looking forward to visiting gyms and events in the period ahead. I want to speak with many people from all corners of the sector, because I want to draw the ideas above all from practice.”

For Thorsten it is partly a new world. “My own sporting background is a very different one. I used to play a lot of field hockey, but at a certain point I had had enough of team sport. Now I like going to the gym, mainly for cardio and strength training. My enjoyment of martial arts is mostly as a spectator. I am happy to set my alarm for the bigger UFC fights, and last year I went to Glory at the Gelredome. But the highlight so far was a visit to UFC Paris, which was an extraordinary occasion.”

After his internship, Thorsten will look for work involving lasting solutions to problems around public order and safety. “Preferably also in a way that helps young people stay on the right track, because that social aspect appeals to me too. In that respect, martial arts is interesting for me as well.”

In the photo, Milan Bakker is on the left and Thorsten Boldewijn on the right