Dutch skating coach was warned over ‘race-fixing’

THE HAGUE: A Dutch speed-skating coach was given a written warning after trying to fix a race at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014, reports and officials said Thursday.

The revelations about Jillert Anema, who is also the coach of Dutch star Jorrit Bergsma, came as the Dutch team Thursday were competing in the 10,000 metres race in Pyeongchang Winter Games.

Four years ago, Anema was coaching the French team in Sochi and approached his Dutch counterpart to ask if the fearsome Dutch skaters could slow down in the first round of the pursuit, the daily Volkskrant reported.

Anema was worried “the French team would lose face and funds because one of the skaters was suffering from a thyroid disease. So he approached Arie Koops asking if his men could go easy, so the French wouldn’t lose face,” the paper said.

In return, Anema guaranteed that if one of the Dutch skaters fell, then France’s Alexis Contin would take a tumble so the Dutch did not lose.