Andre Cats will leave his role as the technical director of the Dutch Swimming Federation (KNZB) after being appointed director of elite sport at the NOC*NSF.
Cats leaves the top job in Netherlands swimming on 25 February after five-and-a-half years in his current position.
NOC*NSF (the ‘Nederlands Olympisch Comité*Nederlandse Sport Federatie’) is an umbrella organisation for all organised sports in the Netherlands from Olympic level through to grassroots.
Its website reads: “As the country’s Olympic and Paralympic Committee, it develops, promotes and protects the Olympic and Paralympic Movement in the Netherlands. NOC*NSF is responsible for the participation of Dutch athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games, the European Games, and the European Youth Olympic Festival.”
Cats will start there on 1 April when he will succeed Maurits Hendriks where he has previously acted as performance manager.
He was also Chef de Mission to four Paralympic Games and has been on three Olympic teams.
Marc van den Tweel, general director of NOC*NSF, said:
“André Cats knows the Dutch sports world like no other. He is ambitious when it comes to results within top sport and is convinced of the need to further connect top and recreational sport.
“In addition, he has a sharply-developed antenna for social themes.”
Cats wrote an open letter through the KZNB, which read:
“Dear KNZB-ers,
“With incredible pleasure and pride I have been technical director at the KNZB for the past five and a half years. Together with countless colleagues, athletes and volunteers, we have worked hard every day to improve our results. In most cases this has been successful – despite all the restrictions and measures – or else we have laid a foundation together to build on…
“I will miss the KNZB, the various sports and especially all the people tremendously. I grew up in swimming pools and I owe a lot to swimming. I have held every position in the sport of swimming that you can imagine. Now I am really going to leave that familiar chlorine smell and that also feels a bit strange.
“From my new position at NOC*NSF and TeamNL I will of course follow the KNZB with great interest and help in all the steps that need to be taken to make swimming sports flourish even more beautifully.
“In the coming weeks I will be finalizing all kinds of things, recording them and handing over my tasks. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
“My last working day at the KNZB is February 25th. Before that time, we may still have contact via email, app, telephone or live. And for some of you in the future from my new position.
Regards ,
André”
Aschwin Lankwarden, KNZB general director, said:
“First of all I would like to congratulate André on behalf of the KNZB and wish him good luck with his new job, probably also the only job in the Netherlands for which he would leave the KNZB… André will also remain involved in the top sports programs of the KNZB as director of top sport of NOC*NSF.
“That is why it is not appropriate to be disappointed, although we are of course very sorry that he is leaving.
“In the coming period, we will first discuss internally how we will fill the position of technical director.”