Internship Report Sheds Light on Racism Faced by Post-Colonial Athletes in Dutch Sports: “Let’s stop pretending that colour blindness exists in the Dutch sporting world”:
Maryse Vorm, an intern at the Mullier Institute for Re/Presenting Europe, has completed a study that reveals the challenges faced by young adult athletes from post-colonial backgrounds in the Netherlands. Her research, based on ten in-depth interviews, looked into their well-being and found that athletes with these backgrounds experience hypervisibility, leading to heightened pressure.
For the report Vorm made this insightful and detailed graph outlining her study:
While all professional athletes deal with stress, Vorm’s research highlights the additional burden of racism and discrimination faced by athletes of colour in the Dutch context. This discrimination adds another layer of pressure, impacting not only their performance but also their mental health. When writing future sports policies, it is crucial to take into account this dimension of hypervisibility.
Vorm’s findings challenge the widely held belief in the Netherlands that sports are colourblind. The idea that “colour does not matter in sports” is far from reality, according to her research. Athletes reported facing racial slurs and having their Dutch identity questioned when they failed to win. This conditional acceptance of their Dutch identity, dependent on their success in sports, leaves many athletes feeling ambivalent about their sense of belonging in the country.Despite being born and raised in the Netherlands, athletes with Surinamese or Afro-Caribbean backgrounds often do not consider themselves fully Dutch and consider themselves “immigrants”. When asked how they would like to see the future of Dutch sports culture change, the athletes were clear: “Let’s stop pretending that colour blindness exists in the Dutch sporting world.”
Vorm, reflecting on her research, noted that she expected a few of the athletes to have negative experiences linked to their racialized background. However, she was surprised to find that all of her respondents could attest to having had such experiences. She also emphasized the need for ‘greater awareness of diversity and inclusion among researchers’, pointing out that her respondents were seemingly more open with her because of her background. This, she believes, highlights the need for greater representation in research to truly understand and address the issues at hand. The goal of a more inclusive and diverse future for Dutch sports is not just desirable, but it is essential for the well-being and success of all athletes.
Read the study here:
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