New: Advisory Committee for the Vechtsportautoriteit

The Vechtsportautoriteit (Dutch Combat Sports Authority) has found a new group of advisers willing to advise the board of the organisation and to contribute their thinking. The VA is pleased that committed people with decades of combined experience are prepared to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Vechtsportautoriteit.

For many years the VA was advised by thematic committees. These involved dozens of people with expertise in a wide range of fields, from athletes, trainers, promoters and officials to safety experts, doctors and municipal officers. After the establishment of the Dutch Combat Sports Federation (Nederlandse Vechtsportbond, NVB), the VA transferred these committees (with the exception of the Medical Committee) to the new federation, so that it could immediately draw on advice from a network of experienced and committed people.

Because the input the VA received from the committees was highly valuable, the VA looked for a new body of advisers. This time it was decided not to set up a number of committees by theme, but to establish a single Advisory Committee for the Vechtsportautoriteit that can contribute its thinking across themes. For this purpose, an enthusiastic group of people has agreed to serve on a voluntary basis:

Youssef Akhnikh	Official, trainer, former competitive fighter
Jordy Beekwilder	A-class kickboxer
Ellen Bruins	Matchmaker
Glen Huisman	Head official
John Kuipers	Gym owner, matchmaker, promoter
Fran Vanderstukken	Vechtsportplatform Vlaanderen (Flemish combat sports platform)
Niels Westerveld	Expert in municipal policy
Simon Berendsen*	Ring announcer
Chris Lathouwers*	Lawyer

The Advisory Committee for the Vechtsportautoriteit will meet for the first time in September with representatives of the board and the office of the VA.

* The members Berendsen and Lathouwers were added in January 2026. Raimond Honig, who was appointed initially, stepped down in the autumn of 2025 by mutual agreement because he accepted a position with the NVB that was incompatible with membership of this committee.