Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Saturday, September 23, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Member States

Belgian gymnast responds to abuse confession by former coach

BrusselsMorning by BrusselsMorning
26 July 2020
in Member States
Belgian gymnast responds to abuse confession by former coach
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Aagje Vanwalleghem, Belgium’s former medal-winning gymnast, has responded to yesterday’s news that Gerrit Beltman, who was once her coach, has admitted to using abuse and intimidation in his career of training young girls.

Beltman, who now works in Canada, made his confession to the Dutch newspaper Noordhollandse Dagblad, confessing that his drive to win medals led him to employ mental abuse and humiliation on his charges in a misguided attempt to get a better performance out of him.

Now 61 years old, Beltman spent most of his career with the Dutch gymnastics union KNGU. He was also the personal trainer to Vanwalleghem in 1999-2000, first in the Netherlands and later in Ghent. After she sustained a serious injury he returned to the Netherlands.

The issue of abuse of young gymnasts has been news north of the border since two gymnasts revealed details in 2011, and Vanwalleghem spoke at length on the subject for the 2016 book Veerkracht (Resilience).

Yesterday she issued a lengthy comment on Instagram, and later spoke to VTM News.

“I respect his apologies, but I especially hope that Gerrit’s mea culpa shakes up many other coaches,” she said. “There are a lot of coaches who are currently standing in the arena and who actually still do the same things.”

She gave the example of an obsession with weight.

“In my later years, weight was still being hammered on. On excess grams, because you couldn’t call them kilos. On a Sunday we would train for four hours. I used to go to the sauna for an hour and a half beforehand, so that I would not have too much weight recorded on the scales. I always started my training completely dehydrated, just to satisfy my trainer.”

The issue, to be clear, does not concern sexual abuse but mainly mental abuse, while physical abuse was usually by proxy.

“Injuries were often linked to being overweight, but verbal abuse is still far too much,” she said.

“Go home if you don’t feel like it, fat cow. That had a serious effect on me and other gymnasts. Some needed trauma therapy after their careers. Others received mental counselling for years.”

She herself, like the original 2011 whistle-blowers Suzanne Harmes and Gabriëlla Wammes, is now concerned for the current generation. She and Beltman share the view that the problem still persists on the circuit.

“We have all experienced it ourselves, we know what it is like and how difficult it is to find a solution. There are still ex-gymnasts who will make themselves heard and we definitely want to support gymnasts, trainers and their parents. It is simply super-important that a solution is found.”

SOURCE

Tags: Sports
Follow Brussels Morning
Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

More Info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookie Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Categories

  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Culture and Society
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Parliament
  • Europe
  • Features
  • Health & Fitness
  • In Depth
  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Member States
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Uncategorised
  • World
  • Diplomacy
  • Middle East Eye
  • US Elections
  • Join Our Newsletter

    Brussels Morning Newspaper – All Rights Reserved © 2020

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Brussels Bubble
      • Parliament
      • Commission
      • Council
    • Wider Europe
      • Member States
    • World
    • Business & Society
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Culture & Society
    • Policy Talks
      • Place de la Bourse
      • The Macro-Economist
      • Sustainable Perspective
      • Ambassador’s Corner
      • The American Angle
      • Southeast Europe
    • Print Magazine

    Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT