In the Olympic questions series, researchers from the University of Twente explore how technology, systems and human behaviour shape elite sport. The series offers a scientific perspective on what happens behind Olympic performance, and what that means beyond medals and results. In this story, UT researchers Nicolette Schipper-van Veldhoven and Marleen Haandrikman examine how power structures in sport affect safety, resilience and well-being along the road to Olympic gold.
The Olympic Games are the ultimate stage for performance. Behind that glorious finish line, however, lie stories of athletes who drop out prematurely, collapse or become injured. According to Professor of Sport, Risks and Safety, Nicolette Schipper-van Veldhoven, this is no coincidence.
"What we often consider 'normal' in sports – shouting coaches, extreme pressure, keeping quiet when you don't agree with something – is the result of power structures that have gone unquestioned for years." These structures do not originate in elite sport, but much earlier.
Power does not lie solely with the coach
Power is not something that any individual possesses. Power arises from interaction. In rules, in communication, in what we consider normal behaviour. "Power is not a characteristic of a single person, but arises from social interaction," she says.
This idea also forms the core of the research of UT PhD candidate Marleen Haandrikman. She is conducting research into 'the power of systems thinking: fostering psychological resilience and restoring safe sports'. "If you learn as an athlete that you shouldn't complain to be a winner," she says, "then you are less likely to say that something doesn't feel right." Not to your coach, not to your parents, and certainly not to an association or board.
Both their research shows that inappropriate behaviour cannot be viewed separately from the system in which sport takes place. It is not only found in 'bad' coaches or administrators, but also in competition formats and selection criteria.
Sports clubs as an educational environment
For a long time, research and policy focused primarily on sexual harassment, partly due to the #MeToo movement. Rightly so, but as a result, another form of inappropriate behaviour remained under the radar for longer. "Psychological transgressive behaviour is a more widespread phenomenon," says Schipper-van Veldhoven. "It is often even more difficult to recognise because it is so intertwined with performance requirements."
These power dynamics often start at a young age. About two-thirds of young athletes experience psychological transgressive behaviour. One in eight experiences sexual harassment. "We would never accept this at school," says Schipper-van Veldhoven. "But on the sports field, we don't realise that it can happen there too."
This is striking because sports clubs are not only places to play sports, but also a reflection of society. They are also seen as the third educational environment, alongside school and home. Children learn to play sports, interact with each other and what is normal. How sport is offered determines whether it has positive or negative effects. This requires conscious consideration of the sporting climate at the club. It does not require a single intervention (an educational project), but interventions at multiple levels.
Towards a new normal
A great example is the Norwegian beach handball team. They demonstrated that power structures are not set in stone. By challenging a fine in 2021, they publicly protested against the requirement to play in bikini bottoms, which sparked a debate. The athletes forced an international discussion about the rules. Ultimately, the dress code was changed.
Closer to home, change is also visible. Sports associations such as the Nevobo (Volleyball), KNVB (Football) and KNHB (Field Hockey) are reviewing their youth policies. There is a greater focus on trainer competence and positive learning environments. Not every child has to fit into a cut-throat competition to enjoy sport.
This movement did not come out of nowhere. Research by Schipper-van Veldhoven and her team is informing policy decisions at sports associations, for example, regarding trainer competence. Resistance to change is often found at the club level, where administrators have been working in the same way for years. But even there, things are starting to shift. "A safe sporting environment is not a side issue," emphasises Schipper-van Veldhoven. "It is a prerequisite for development."
What if you were in the athlete's shoes?
One of the ways in which Haandrikman makes this awareness tangible is through a VR intervention. In a virtual reality environment, people can experience situations in which psychologically transgressive behaviour occurs. This can be done from multiple perspectives. How does a comment about 'perseverance' affect an athlete? What does a bystander see? And when do you intervene?
"What is motivation for one person can be transgressive for another," says Haandrikman. "You only really feel that difference when you experience it. You literally stand in each other's shoes, and that opens up the conversation." The project is part of the European programme Building European Safe Sport Together (BESST), which investigates social safety in sport at the European level.
More than medals
In addition to technological tools, the work of Schipper-van Veldhoven and Haandrikman revolves around something more fundamental: shifting norms. By making visible where power lies and why certain behaviour has been normalised, they hope to support enjoyment of sport for everyone.
Perhaps the road to Olympic gold does not begin with harder training or stricter selection, but with a simpler question: what do we actually consider normal on the sports field?
