An Olympic coach from the Netherlands is under fire for allegedly making sexist remarks during a congratulatory speech for Dutch speed skater Femke Kok.
Femke Kok, 25, clinched gold in the 500m event at the Winter Olympics. Later that day, her coach, Dennis van der Gun, 47, expressed his pride for her achievements in front of the team members.
While giving a speech about Kok at the team headquarters, Van der Gun remarked, 'I believe I speak for everyone in the Netherlands, and I am incredibly proud of you for your remarkable accomplishments. I was just reflecting... You've won 23 World Cups in a row, three consecutive world titles, and now an Olympic title. I wondered what else you could desire? What could you possibly lack? Well, there's one thing you haven't achieved yet, and that's a really nice boyfriend!'
The crowd reportedly booed in response to this comment, yet Kok found humor in the awkwardness of the joke.
Nonetheless, Van der Gun was criticized online for what many perceived as a cheap and sexist jab. One commenter noted, 'There’s no way anyone would make a remark like that about a man,' while another remarked, 'Sexism is still prevalent in 2026.'
In defense of her coach, Kok took to Instagram to share a thoughtful explanation of her feelings. She stated, 'We had a wonderful celebration in the Team NL home after my GOLD medal! My coach Dennis said many kind words there. Unfortunately, a joke that both the Team NL house and I found amusing was misunderstood online.'
Kok argued that the comment was well-intentioned and insisted, 'It really doesn’t make sense that people reacted this way. Dennis has played a huge role in my gold medal journey. If there’s anyone I feel completely respected by as a woman, it’s him.'
Kok emphasized that Van der Gun is not only a great coach but also a good person, stating, 'My night and everyone’s in the Team NL house was incredible. Let's be kinder online and refrain from criticising people we don't know.'
She added humorously, 'I’m grateful to my coach for everything – even for all the sweet messages in my DM's (that’s a joke).'
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