Dutch Olympic chiefs defend nomination of volleyball player convicted of raping 12-year-old for the Olympic Games in Paris

Warning: This article contains a discussion of rape that some readers may find disturbing.

Dutch Olympic chiefs “fully support” convicted child rapist to take part in the Paris Olympics this summer.

Despite his criminal record, beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde will represent the Netherlands at the Olympic Games in Paris.

The 29-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three cases of rape of a child.

However, after serving part of his sentence in the UK, he was transferred to a prison in the Netherlands where his sentence was reviewed and adjusted to Dutch legal norms.

Van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in a Dutch prison in 2016 after admitting three counts of rape of a child. (Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

This meant that he only served 12 months of his sentence before being released.

In a conversation with the Dutch Volleyball Association (Nevobo), Van de Velde said he was “not happy” that this “dark phase” in his life had flared up again.

He said: “This is obvious, but I also understand that this is only part of it. In 2016 and after, several Dutch media outlets also paid attention to the story.

“I understand that this may attract international media attention ahead of the biggest sporting event in the world.”

The incident occurred in 2014. The then 19-year-old athlete met the 12-year-old victim through Facebook. He traveled to the UK and raped the child at an address in Milton Keynes.

In a statement, Michel Everaert, general director of Nevobo, claimed the rapist was an “exemplary” person.

It states: “We know Steven’s background. Before he expressed his desire to return to beach volleyball, we spoke extensively with him, but also with the NOC*NSF (National Olympic Committee), among others.

“He was convicted under English law and has served his sentence. Since then, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who has now fully reintegrated into the Dutch volleyball community.

The judge initially told Van de Velde that his behavior had destroyed his Olympic dreams of representing his country. (Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

“He is proving to be an exemplary professional and human being and there has been no reason to doubt him since his return. We fully support him and his participation in Paris, which he and Matthew deserve.”

The Dutch National Olympic Committee issued the following statement: “Since 2017, Steven van de Velde has been taking part in international beach volleyball tournaments again – after an intensive, professionally supervised process, including with the probation service.

“The considerations and conditions for a return to elite sport were determined at the time by both Nevobo and the NOC*NSF (National Olympic Committee) partly on the basis of the NOC*NSF (National Olympic Committee) Integrity History Guideline, which, among other things, sets out the conditions under which athletes can return to elite sport after a conviction.

“Van de Velde now meets all the qualification requirements for the Olympic Games and is therefore part of the team.”

If you are experiencing any of the issues described in this article, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or you can chat online at online.rainn.org.