A Dutch beach volleyball player convicted of raping a minor in 2016 will face strict isolation measures during the Paris Olympics, officials announced on Sunday. Steven van de Velde, now 29, will be separated from his teammates and prohibited from speaking to the media. Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison after confessing to raping a 12-year-old girl, as reported recently by The Telegraph.
He served part of his sentence in Britain before being transferred to the Netherlands, where he was eventually released and resumed playing volleyball in 2017.
To maintain order, the Dutch Olympic Committee decided on Sunday that Van de Velde will be barred from entering the Olympic Athletes’ Village, according to Dutch press agency ANP.
The Dutch Volleyball Federation stated that he confessed to having made “the biggest mistake of (his) young life”. “I cannot go back, so I will have to bear the consequences.”
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The Dutch Olympic Committee and the country’s volleyball federation reported that they consulted experts who determined there is “zero chance” of Van de Velde reoffending. Pieter van den Hoogenband, the former swimming champion and head of the Dutch delegation for the Paris Games, expressed surprise at the level of agitation surrounding the athlete.
“He has been active in international sport and the world of beach volleyball for a long time,” Van den Hoogenband told broadcaster NOS.
“He has participated in World Cups, European Championships and World Cups, but you see that around the Games it is different. Things are amplified around the Games.”
“We have taken good steps together. All the athletes are dear to me and I try to support them,” said the former swimmer, who believes Van de Velde is “holding on strong despite the turmoil”.
Australian Olympic Committee Criticizes Van de Velde’s Selection
On Monday, Australian Olympic Committee chief Anna Meares condemned the Netherlands for including convicted rapist Steven van de Velde in their Olympic team. Meares emphasized that Australia would not choose an athlete with such a conviction for the Games. She refrained from commenting directly on the selection criteria and processes of other teams.
“If an athlete or staff member had that conviction they would not be allowed to be a member of our team,” Meares told a press conference. “We have stringent policies on safeguarding within our team.”
The decision to include Steven van de Velde in the Dutch Olympic team has faced backlash from women’s and sports rights organizations. Critics argue that the choice sends a troubling message about the values and standards upheld in the world of sports.
The selection of athletes for the Olympics is determined by each national Olympic committee.
