Urgent letter from the martial arts and fitness sector

On Friday, the Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit (Dutch Martial Arts Authority), the Koninklijke Nederlandse Krachtsport & Fitness Bond (Royal Dutch Strength Sports and Fitness Federation), the Judo Bond Nederland (Dutch Judo Federation) and the Nederlandse Boksbond (Dutch Boxing Federation) jointly sent an urgent letter to the government. The letter sets out the disastrous consequences of closing gyms until 1 September: for sports entrepreneurs, for the sports infrastructure in the Netherlands, and for the social role these sports fulfil.

To

Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport (Minister van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport) Hugo de Jonge
Minister for Medical Care and Sport (Minister voor Medische Zorg en Sport) Martin van Rijn
Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (Minister van Economische Zaken en Klimaat) Eric Wiebes

Amsterdam, 8 May 2020

Dear ministers,

It is with considerable reluctance that we, representatives of the martial arts, strength sports and fitness sector in the Netherlands, ask for your attention. You have an extraordinary amount of important work to do and we are very much aware of that. We also have great appreciation for it. But we have reached the limit of what we can bear, and if we do not speak now, it may be too late.

We are aware that in economic terms we do not hold an exceptional position. We are one of many sectors and institutions that are having a hard time. The reason we are nevertheless making our voice heard is that we need the same perspective that you have already offered to many of them, namely a prospect of survival. Unfortunately, we have not yet been given that perspective.

A number of sectors and institutions are allowed to open their doors in the coming weeks, and therefore have a prospect of much needed income. The perspective presented to us at the press conference of 6 May is closure until 1 September. To put it bluntly: many of us will not make it that far. Commercial and non-commercial gyms, but also organisations that combine sport with social work, will go under if they have to hold their breath for more than three more months.

This would mean permanently losing important sports infrastructure that has been built up over decades. Gyms that brought Dutch athletes to the top of the world and earned our country Olympic medals and great renown. Gyms that fill stadiums and draw millions of television viewers. But also gyms that fulfil a very important role in the lives of hundreds of thousands of ‘ordinary’ Dutch people. That give them self-respect, self-control, personal development, friendships for life and better health. Gyms that, precisely now, can contribute to strengthening the population’s resistance in the fight against the coronavirus. Decades of investment will be undone if we allow the sector to be devastated in the coming months. And we cannot expect our members to keep us afloat by continuing to pay for months for a closed door.

We are not virologists and fortunately we are not burdened with the complicated and sensitive choices you have to make at this moment. We have properly complied with all the rules issued by the government. But we now see that our gyms are at risk of disappearing, while this really is not inevitable. We must not let that happen. That is why we want to sit down with you as soon as possible. To consider how, with the help of our robust protocols, we can safely and responsibly reopen our doors earlier. Or how you can otherwise offer the entrepreneurs in this sector a prospect of surviving this crisis.

Then we can not only contribute to keeping countless Dutch people healthy, but also get back on our feet as a sector and recover, in the spirit of our sports.

Yours sincerely,

Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit
Koninklijke Nederlandse Krachtsport & Fitness Bond
Judo Bond Nederland
Nederlandse Boksbond