Convicted rapist competes at the Olympic Games
At the Olympic Games, Steven van de Velde will compete in Beachvolleyball. This causes harsh criticism, as the Dutchman was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl ten years ago. His nomination goes against the guidelines of the IOC and is morally unacceptable, according to the allegations.
When the Beachvolleyball players play for medals in front of the Eiffel Tower for the Netherlands, the team of Matthew Immers and Steven van de Velde will be representing the country. And this causes a huge uproar - because van de Velde is a convicted rapist.
Ten years ago, he traveled to Milton Keynes, England, as an 19-year-old. He had met a girl on Facebook, whom he visited. She had initially presented herself as 16 years old. Later, she admitted that she was only twelve years old. After a break in contact, van de Velde later sought out the friendship again. When her mother was not at home, he visited the English girl. He gave her alcohol and raped her three times. In August 2014, he confessed to the rape, and in 2016, he was convicted by an English court. He was sentenced to four years in prison.
At the announcement of the sentence, the British judge said: "Before you came to this country, you were training as a potential Olympian. Your dreams of representing your country are now shattered." But it will probably be different.
Van de Velde spent one year in England before being transferred to the Netherlands and spent an additional month in prison there. In the Netherlands, sex with a 12-year-old is not automatically considered rape, unlike in England. So his sentence was adjusted to the Dutch legal system. Therefore, he was a free man after 13 months.
Van de Velde had told the Dutch broadcaster NOS in July 2018 after his release from prison: "I can't undo it, so I have to bear the consequences. It was the biggest mistake of my life." He was just a teenager and "was still trying to understand things." He had difficulties at the time.
Served sentence, he is free
An essential part of the judicial process is the right to rehabilitation and forgetting. A person who has served their sentence is a free man and should be treated like everyone else. In principle, there is nothing against van de Velde participating in the Olympic Games. However, as a sportsman on an international stage, he is a public figure, and reports about his past are legitimate.
And so, a storm of indignation sweeps away the Dutchman and the Dutch Volleyball Association Nevobo. "No pedophile or child rapist should represent a nation at the Olympic Games. It's a slap in the face for survivors when an rapist is applauded as if nothing had happened," writes the lawyer Charlotte Proudman at "X".
And then there is also the "Explanation of Rights and Obligations of Athletes" of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Athletes must sign this before participating in Olympic Games. Under point seven, it states: "Act as a role model, even by promoting clean sport." American-British lawyer Ann Olivarius, referring to this, stated to Sky News UK: "I would be interested to know how the Dutch association can believe that Steven van de Velde fulfills the seventh requirement for Olympic participants."
A woman in England started an Online Petition calling for the exclusion of the 29-year-old from the Paris Games. The Survivors Trust, a British umbrella organization that coordinates and supports help for victims of sexual crimes, said to Sky News UK: "The rape of a child was planned, calculated, and involved international travel and will undoubtedly cause lifelong trauma for its victim and irreversibly change the course of their life." Furthermore, they stated: "The permission of his colleagues and the Olympic Committee to present him to young audiences as a sportsman to look up to is deeply concerning."
Support for Steven van de Velde, who recognizes that the past cannot be erased
The association and van de Velde issued a statement titled: "Support for Steven van de Velde, who realizes that the past cannot be erased." In it, the Beachvolleyballer shares: "I also think back to the teenager I was, unsure of whether I was ready for a career as a top athlete and unhappy within myself because I didn't know who I was or what I wanted."
Nevobo General Director Michel Everaert defended the nomination: "We are familiar with Steven's story. We have had extensive discussions with the international volleyball federation and the Dutch Olympic Committee. 'Since his return, he has distinguished himself as a model professional and exemplary person." The Dutch Olympic Committee also reacted to the criticism and told "BBC Sport": "After his release, van de Velde sought and received professional counseling. He demonstrated self-awareness and reflection, both privately and professionally."
Privately, van de Velde has found happiness since 2022. He is married to the former German Beachvolleyballer Kim Behrens, and they have a child. Sportingly, van de Velde - unlike the British judge's assessment - has fought his way back, earned his ticket to Paris. With Immers, he has been playing together since 2023, and they have quickly found success as a team, celebrating their greatest achievement with the Olympic qualification. Morally, many still question the participation of the duo due to van de Velde's past.
Despite his past conviction for raping a 12-year-old girl, Steven van de Velde has been nominated to represent the Netherlands in Beachvolleyball at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This decision has sparked intense controversy, as it goes against the guidelines of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is morally unacceptable, according to various criticisms.
In response to the controversy, the Dutch Volleyball Association Nevobo and van de Velde released a statement titled "Support for Steven van de Velde, who realizes that the past cannot be erased." However, this has not appeased many, including the British umbrella organization The Survivors Trust, which stated that allowing van de Velde to present himself as a sportsman to look up to is deeply concerning.
