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Gelderland | 13 June 2024

Mariska Beijer: ’Met hulp van een sportfonds heb ik de absolute top bereikt, ik gun ieder kind zo’n geweldige kans.’

Mariska Beijer is a professional wheelchair basketball player and the current European, World, and Paralympic Champion with the Dutch national team! An incredible achievement. She also has a degree in Marketing and works as a freelancer for organizations including the BEN foundation, working to improve the image of wheelchair basketball in the Netherlands.

Since 2010, Mariska has moved to Gelderland to train full-time, and she's found her way to elite sports more than ever before. As an ambassador, I hope to help lower the barrier for parents to request (financial) assistance from the Youth Fund for Sport and Culture. By taking this step, you're offering your child a fantastic opportunity.

Grown into a sporty, social and happy person

As a child, I grew up in a broken home; my parents divorced at a young age. We were able to get by, but to pay for gas and take me to training, my mother relied on the Sports Fund in Den Helder. Thanks to this support, I eventually grew into an athletic, sociable, and happy person.

Sport is so much more than just exercise

Sports provide access to social connections. On a sports field, you learn how to interact with people, how to cope with setbacks, but also what it feels like to overcome. Sports is so much more than just exercise.

Everyone should have access to sports. This shouldn't depend on your parents' ability to pay for sports lessons or on your lack of transportation. That's why I think the work of the Youth Fund for Sports and Culture is so important. Thanks to their local connections, they can help young people where needed.

I want to tell parents that I understand that asking for (financial) help can sometimes be a daunting prospect, but by taking the step, you're offering your child a fantastic opportunity. More is possible than you might initially think.

Role model for everyone with a physical disability

It's wonderful to be a role model, especially if you, due to a physical disability, relied on a Sports Fund and reached the absolute top. The opportunities are there, but in some cases, you need to get or ask for help to get started.

That help has made many of my dreams come true. And do I have any more dreams for the future? My dream is to remain the best with the Dutch national team for as long as possible. I also want to play wheelchair basketball with as many people as possible. I do this through workshops, so they experience the sport and I can show them how awesome Paralympic sports are. For the Netherlands, I hope that more children/people will take up sports, and especially wheelchair basketball. Because that's, of course, the best sport!