Dutch beach volleyball player convicted of raping a child said he almost quit Olympics
Van de Velde, who is now 30 but was 19 at the time of the 2014 crime, was sentenced in 2016 to four years in prison, according to British media. He was released in 2017, and this year represented the Netherlands in beach volleyball at the Olympic Games in Paris, with the backing of the Dutch Volleyball Federation, Nevobo.
“I definitely had a quitting-moment, both before the tournament and during it,” van de Velde said in an interview with Dutch national broadcaster NOS released on Tuesday.
“But I thought: ‘I’m not going to give others the power to bully me away or get me away,’” he added in the interview, in which he at times cried.
Van de Velde reached the round of 16 with teammate Matthew Immers before losing to Brazil and was booed on several occasions, according to media reports. Van de Velde said this “had an impact” on his performance.
“It was an intense experience, one that I haven’t fully processed yet. The conclusion can certainly be: this is not worth it,” he said when asked if he planned to compete in the Olympics again. “Certainly also for my family, so I will certainly take their opinion into account.”
Safeguarding organizations ‘deeply concerned’
Ju’Riese Colon, CEO for the US Center for SafeSport previously said in a statement sent to CNN that the organization was “deeply concerned that anyone convicted of sexually assaulting a minor could participate in the 2024 Olympic Games.”
“With teams from around the world about to convene in Paris, many of which include minor athletes, this sends a dangerous message that medals and money mean more than their safety. Participation in sport is a privilege not a right,” she added ahead of his appearance.
While refusing to discuss specific cases in terms of other countries’ choices for their national team, Australian chef de mission Anna Meares was one of many who spoke out about van de Velde’s selection: “If an athlete or staff member had that conviction, they would not be allowed to be a member of our team.”
“We have stringent policies on safeguarding within our team.”
“We know Steven’s history,” Michel Everaert, general director at Nevobo said in a statement at the time of van de Velde’s selection in late June.
Everaert said that the federation spoke extensively with the Dutch National Olympic Committee (NOC), the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and van de Velde himself before his return to the sport.
“He was convicted at the time according to English law and he has served his sentence. From then on, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who has now been fully reintegrated into the Dutch volleyball community,” Everaert added in the statement.
Van de Velde served some of his sentence in England before being transferred to the Netherlands, where he was released and returned to playing in 2017, according to Nevobo.
Nevobo and the Dutch NOC said in a statement that they supported van de Velde, adding that they, along with the FIVB, had consulted experts who considered his chance of recidivism “nil.”
“After his conviction and sentence, Steven van de Velde returned to the highest level of sport step-by-step under the expert guidance of probation and coaching, among others. He has been participating in international tournaments again since 2017,” Nevobo said in a statement.
The Dutch NOC added that van de Velde returned to professional sport on the basis of its guidelines, “which sets out, among other things, the conditions under which athletes in top-level sports can return after a conviction.”
“Van de Velde now meets all the qualification requirements for the Olympic Games and is therefore part of the team,” the committee added.
The International Olympic Committee told CNN that the “nomination of individual team members, following qualification on the field of play, is the sole responsibility of each respective National Olympic Committee. Therefore, we would refer to the Dutch NOC for any further information.”
Van de Velde's participation in beach volleyball at the Olympics this year, despite his past conviction, sparked concerns from safeguarding organizations. They believed that allowing someone convicted of sexually assaulting a minor to participate in future Olympic Games sends a wrong message.
Despite the controversy, the Dutch Volleyball Federation, Nevobo, supported van de Velde's return to the sport, stating that he had served his sentence and was now considered a low risk of recidivism by experts.
