Child Rapist Who Spent 4 Years in Prison Will Play on Dutch Olympic Volleyball Team

The Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) has come under scrutiny for its decision to include a convicted rapist, Steven van de Velde, in its beach volleyball team for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. Despite public outcry, the committee insists that van de Velde has shown “self-insight and reflection” since his conviction.

In 2016, van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting to three counts of rape against a British child. The offenses occurred in August 2014 when van de Velde, then 19, met his victim on Facebook and traveled from Amsterdam to Milton Keynes in the UK, where he committed the crimes.

The judge at his sentencing described his Olympic aspirations as a “shattered dream.” However, van de Velde was released after serving just 12 months of his sentence. Since his release, he has resumed his volleyball career, competing in international tournaments from 2018 onwards. The NOC highlighted that this return followed “an intensive, professionally supervised trajectory.”

The NOC released a statement defending their decision: “Since 2018, Steven van de Velde has been participating in international beach volleyball tournaments again following an intensive, professionally-supervised trajectory. After his release, he sought and received professional counseling. He demonstrated to those around him – privately and professionally – self-insight and reflection.”

The committee emphasized that van de Velde’s reintegration into the sport complies with the Dutch Volleyball Federation’s “Guidelines Integrity Record,” which outlines conditions for convicted athletes to be eligible to compete.

Van de Velde, now 29, will compete in the Paris Olympics with his partner Matthew Immers. The British Olympic Association has expressed significant concerns about his inclusion. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stated it will not intervene, noting that the selection of team members is the responsibility of each National Olympic Committee.

In a statement, the IOC said: “The nomination of individual team members, following qualification on the field of play, is the sole responsibility of each respective National Olympic Committee.”

Van de Velde, now married and a father, addressed the controversy: “I can’t reverse it, so will have to bear the consequences. It has been the biggest mistake of my life.”

In 2017, van de Velde appeared less remorseful, saying: “I do want to correct all the nonsense that has been written about me when I was locked up. I did not read any of it, on purpose, but I understand that it was quite bad, that I have been branded as a sex monster, as a pedophile. That I am not, really not. Everyone can have their opinion about me, but it is only fair if they also know my side of the story.”

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf has downplayed the severity of van de Velde’s conviction, suggesting that “they had consensual sex” and that “sex with a 12-year-old girl is labelled as rape” in Britain, while in the Netherlands “punishment in this area is much milder.” The paper questioned, “Can Van de Velde, who was convicted long ago in Great Britain for having sex with a 12-year-old girl, participate in the Olympic Games?”

The local authorities in the Netherlands believe that van de Velde, having served his sentence and met the necessary guidelines, is eligible to compete in Paris.