Many are outraged that the Olympics are allowing a convicted rapist to participate in the Paris Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been subjected to severe criticism. Numerous fans and athletes are demanding an investigation into the reasons why a man convicted of child rape is allowed to take part in the 2024 Olympic Games.

29-year-old Steven Van de Velde from the Netherlands had already qualified for the Olympic Games in June (with his volleyball partner Matthew Immers) and despite worldwide criticism of his participation, he was cleared to compete in the Paris Games.

According to reports, Van de Velde was convicted of three counts of child rape in 2016. The incident occurred in 2014, when the athlete was 19 and the victim was 12. The two had apparently been talking online for several months before Van de Velde flew to a small town near London to meet the underage girl.

“He was caught after advising his victim to take the morning-after pill. Staff at a family planning clinic alerted the girl’s family and police because of her age,” according to TIME.com. Since the girl was under the age of majority, this is considered rape under English law and sexual immorality under Dutch law.

Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison, but only served 13 months before being sent back to the Netherlands for re-sentencing, meaning he was back in international competitions in 2017.

“I made this decision when I was not ready,” Van de Velde said in a television interview (NOS) a year after his release. “I was somehow lost and now I have so much more life experience.”

“I can’t undo it, so I will have to face the consequences. It was the biggest mistake of my life,” he said.

Many do not believe Van de Velde deserves a second chance. According to the New York Post, “a petition calling on the International Olympic Committee to bar known sex offenders from participating has reached nearly 81,000 signatures.”

The Dutch Volleyball Association (NeVoBo) issued a statement regarding Van de Velde’s participation in the upcoming Olympic Games.

“We know Steven’s history… He was convicted under English law at the time 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. 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 (Immers) deserve.”

Van de Velde and Immers will face Italy in the first group match when the men’s Olympic beach volleyball tournament begins on Sunday, July 28.

Related: 2024 Summer Olympics: See the full schedule, all dates and times, and the Paralympics