Gymnast Yuri van Gelder admits cocaine use

Top Dutch gymnast Yuri van Gelder faces a two year ban after admitting he took cocaine three days before the national championships in Rotterdam three weeks ago.


According to the NRC, the European and world champion on the rings knew the drugs test taken during the championship would prove positive. He had already told the Dutch drugs testing agency about his drugs use, the paper said.
Van Gelder said his actions had been ‘really stupid’ and admitted he had used cocaine as a recreational drug for some time. ‘It made me feel better. It had become more and more normal at parties,’ he was quoted as saying by the NRC.
Van Gelder said he now expects to be sacked by the army which has a zero tolerance policy on drugs. He has also sought professional help to deal with his drugs problem, the NRC said.
According to the AD, the use of cocaine by athletes is not punishable if it is used a recreational drug, rather than to improve performance.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation