Message from the 2021 VA congress: keep moving forward

Combat sports in the Netherlands are entering a new phase. That is the conclusion following the large congress of the Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit (VA, the Dutch combat sports authority) held on 20 October. The call for one strong combat sports federation was heard from many quarters.

At the Papendal sports centre, the speakers unanimously concluded that combat sports have secured a solid place in the Dutch sports landscape. This was not self-congratulation, as the compliments came from guest speakers such as Anneke van Zanen, chair of NOC*NSF (the Dutch Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation), and Vincent Egbers, chair of the Dopingautoriteit (the Dutch anti-doping authority).

Future
Considerable steps have been taken in recent years to organise the sport better. There was much praise for everyone who contributed to that. But the central theme of the day was: The Next Round. The focus was mainly on the future, which is where most of the questions from chair of the day Leon Verdonschot were directed.

Young people
“We still have a number of steps to take compared with other sports, but we are on the right track,” said K1 legend Remy Bonjasky. After his career at the top of world kickboxing he became a gym owner, but he also regularly acts as an ambassador for the sport he loves. He gave the VA and the sector an important point to consider: “If we are all doing this for the future of the sport, for the next generations, then they should also have a say.”

One federation
Anneke van Zanen, chair of the umbrella sports organisation NOC*NSF, was asked what she believes combat sports should do to establish themselves even more firmly. “Ultimately, combat sports really have to become a fully fledged sport in the Netherlands. That means there may be differences, with different forms of expression, but that in the end you turn it into one federation. In the past you fought each other tooth and nail. Now a kind of harmony has emerged under the Vechtsportautoriteit. In my view, the step forward now is to genuinely start doing things together.”

Joining forces
Her view aligned with what VA board member Peter Kwint said from the stage. The VA sees two possible future scenarios for the sector. “We can join forces and set up one strong federation. A house with separate rooms for kickboxing, Thai boxing and mixed martial arts. And with room for everyone currently active in the sport. That would give us a strong organisation that can organise a Dutch championship recognised by everyone. Then Studio Sport (the Dutch public broadcaster’s sports programme) knows which champion is the real champion, then the door of NOC*NSF is open for membership, then our sports become eligible for financial support from the Nederlandse Loterij Organisatie (the Dutch national lottery organisation). Then the VA can limit itself to supervision. Tasks it now carries out that actually belong to a federation can then genuinely be performed by the federation. Such as a single licensing system, the management of the Fightpassport, and representing the sector in times of crisis such as during the coronavirus pandemic.”

Uncertainty
“The other scenario is the one in which nine federations all continue to do their own thing. But then we cannot all join NOC*NSF, we receive no lottery funding, there will be no serious Dutch championship and Studio Sport will still be wondering which championship of which federation is actually worth anything. Moreover, it becomes highly questionable who will take on the federation tasks that the VA has temporarily assumed. Such as a single licensing system, the management of the Fightpassport, and representing the sector in times of crisis such as during the coronavirus pandemic. The VA will not be funded by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (ministerie van VWS) indefinitely. In that case we fear that much of what we have all built up in recent years will be lost again. That is why we advocate the first scenario: come together in one organisation and grow further from there.”

Do not let go
That was also the message of the outgoing chair of the Supervisory Board (Raad van Toezicht), Onno van Veldhuizen. In his view it would be a great shame if combat sports were to fall back after such good steps forward. He experienced the low point as mayor of Hoorn, where a gala ended in a pitched battle in which shots were even fired. In the years that followed his involvement in the sport grew. He saw how deeply troubled combat sports were. “An extremely poor reputation, begrudging one another, no willingness to place trust in each other in order to tackle the problems together, no shared objectives. If something did not work out immediately, people stayed away, left their seat empty or started something of their own again. That was all powerlessness. We had to turn the tide and, to my own amazement and surprise, we have come incredibly far. So much, so fast, and so well. We must not let that go. We must not let that happen.”

Anti-doping
One of the important steps taken recently is the affiliation of combat sports with the Dopingautoriteit. The new chair of this organisation, Vincent Egbers, and VA chair Herbert Dekkers were questioned about this. What exactly is the problem with doping use? Who determines what is prohibited and what is not? How should an athlete deal with the use of medication? What does it mean that out-of-competition testing will also take place? Egbers explained that testing will not start overnight and that people will not immediately face lengthy suspensions. “We are first focusing on information, we will first explain in detail what is and is not allowed and what the consequences of use are. This is done partly through the Dopingwaaier app and the e-learning modules.”

The cooperation between the VA and the Dopingautoriteit was symbolically underlined once more in a joint statement: “We, the Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit and the Dopingautoriteit, hereby affirm that we are united in our commitment to eliminating prohibited performance-enhancing substances from competitive sport. By providing clear information and testing athletes on a structural basis, we are working towards clean sport. After all, every combat sports athlete is entitled to fair competition.”

Sessions
After the lunch break, all those present moved to smaller rooms in the complex to discuss specific topics. There was a themed session on Medical and Health matters, led by VA board member and ringside physician Bas Pijnenburg. This session addressed a possible annual medical examination for competitive fighters and research into brain injury among experienced elite athletes. The session on Events and Galas discussed how contact between promoters and municipalities can be improved.

The Communication session focused, among other things, on what gyms and promoters can do to get their initiatives covered in the media in a positive way. How the level of Dutch kickboxing can be raised further was the issue considered in the session on Technical Sports Matters. In the session on Quality and Licences, a case was made for sustained checks on the quality of rings and cages.

Closing conclusion
After the afternoon sessions, Leon Verdonschot asked Herbert Dekkers what he considered the conclusion of the congress to be for the VA. “Dutch combat sports are doing well, we have all done an enormous amount of work, but we need to take a step, into the next round. In the period ahead we must also enter into discussion with the people who are here about how we can move towards one federation. And we will undoubtedly leave some people behind, but I think we have the fine task of entering the next round. I hope this will happen in the same positive tone, based on the same positive attitude that we have seen here today.”

Photos: Giovanni Tjin
Drawings: Pencilsensei

Video
The congress could be followed live via a livestream. The stage programme can be watched again below.