Foekje Dillema: restoration of her good reputation
Published: 13 December 2007 20:57
Translated from the Dutch by Curtis E. Hinkle, Founder OII
Rotterdam, 13 December. Last week (KNAU) the athletic union posthumously rehabilitated the reputation of the deceased athlete Foekje Dillema (81). Yesterday in Kollum the association's Director Rien van Haperen, in a personal conversation with Foeke Dilemma, who represented the survivor's family members, apologized for the manner in which KNAU had treated the athlete after her failed sex test in 1950.
• Obituary - De schandalige seksetest van Foekje (In Dutch)
Also, he promised that Foekje Dillma's [racing] results would remain in the rankings list forever. And furthermore Van Haperen promised to have a wreath placed on her grave on behalf of KNAU.
Foekje Dillema was expelled in 1950 from any participation in women's competitions on the basis of a sex test. The test supposedly revealed that she was a man. The results were very controversial and Fanny Blankers-Koen and her husband-coach are suspected as having played a dubious role in the affair. They saw Foekje Dilemma, who back then had improved the Dutch record for the 200-meter race by a sensational time of 24.1 seconds as an (undesirable) competitor.
The conciliatory conversation [which included an apology] in Kollum came about after being initiated by family members. And the results were felt by Van Haperen to be liberating and atoning. The director admitted that KNAU had fretted over this issue for years without doing anything. He did not go so far as to apologize for the sex test. "We can't do that, because that has to be seen in light of the times. On the basis of the present rules, Foekje Dillema could have participated in competitions. We have however apologized for the way we treated her afterwards."
According to Van Haperen, the reason there had been no contact with Foekje Dillema for all these years afterwards was because of the wishes of the former athlete who was emotionally affected by the issue. "Our association's doctor Els Stolk tried numerous times but Foekje always turned us down."
The athletic union was not in attendance last week at the burial either. According to Van Haperen, that was not because of not wanting to attend but the result of a misunderstanding. It appears that the Dilemma family sent the death announcement to the former address of the association's office. Kollumerland is planning to honor Foekje Dillema with a plaque to be located in Burum, the town where she was born.
