Jan Rijpstra new chair of the Supervisory Board of the Vechtsportautoriteit

Jan Rijpstra succeeds Onno van Veldhuizen as chair of the Supervisory Board of the Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit (the Dutch combat sports authority). The mayor of Smallingerland and former member of the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) has had sport and physical activity as a common thread throughout his life.

The Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit supervises kickboxing, Thai boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) in the Netherlands. The VA consists of a board, an executive office, advisory committees, and a Supervisory Board (Raad van Toezicht) that keeps the organisation on course.

Jan Rijpstra was trained at the Academy of Physical Education (Academie voor Lichamelijke Opvoeding), where he later also became a lecturer. Building on this, he became chair of the Royal Association for Physical Education (Koninklijke Vereniging voor Lichamelijke Opvoeding). He also held numerous positions at sports organisations. In 1994 he became a member of the House of Representatives for the VVD, where he served among other things as spokesperson for sport.

In 2005 he exchanged parliament for local government. He became mayor of Tynaarlo and later of Noordwijk, and since 2019 he has been mayor of Smallingerland. He combines his work for the public sector with, among other roles, the vice-chairmanship of the Supervisory Board of the Mulier Institute, the research institute specialised in sport and physical activity.

“I think it is good to see how our elite athletes have made the Netherlands a major combat sports country, and how widely combat sports are now practised. As chair of the Supervisory Board of the VA, I am glad to contribute to organising this distinctive sector properly.”

On the Supervisory Board of the VA, Rijpstra takes over the position from Onno van Veldhuizen, who stepped down after six years when he exchanged his role as mayor for membership of the Council of State (Raad van State). Rijpstra takes office on 1 August 2022.