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Convicted rapist of underage girl represents Dutch volleyball team at Olympic Games in Paris

Theo

In a shocking turn of events at the Paris Olympics, a convicted rapist of an underage British girl was allowed to enter the Olympic field and represent his country, the Netherlands, at the major event. The controversial incident hit the headlines of the world media when Steven van de Velde, a Dutch beach volleyball player, faced loud boos from the crowd as he entered the field for the opening match against Italy on Sunday (July 28, 2024).

Steven van de Velde committed the heinous crime against an underage British girl when he was 19 years old. In 2014, he contacted the underage victim via Facebook and then travelled from the Netherlands to Milton Keynes. After the meeting, he raped the 12-year-old British girl after getting her drunk.

The court found that he knew her age perfectly and yet sexually abused the minor. He pleaded guilty to three counts of child rape and was subsequently sentenced to four years in prison at Aylesbury Crown Court in 2016.

However, Van de Velde only served 12 months in a British prison as he was subsequently transferred to his home country, the Netherlands, where he was released after a few months in prison. He was released in 2017 and has since returned to playing beach volleyball. The controversial athlete was named to the Dutch Olympic team last month.

Although the convicted rapist was allowed to represent his country, the victim has reportedly not been able to recover from the trauma since then and has been prone to self-harm and drug overdoses.

At Sunday’s opening match against Italy, the crowd booed loudly when the stadium announcer at the Champs de Mars Park announced his name.

Dutch team defends its athlete

The National Olympic Committee of the Netherlands stated that he had served his sentence and completed an extensive rehabilitation program. The experts also claimed that there was no danger that the Dutch player would commit such a crime again.

The Dutch Olympic Committee had told World Volleyball that he had shown “self-awareness and reflection”. They claimed he had always met their “high standards” and was fully committed to their requirements for competition. They added that he had remained transparent over the past 10 years.

His 22-year-old volleyball partner Matthew Immers described him as “like a second father” with whom he feels “comfortable”.

In addition, Pieter van den Hoogenband, the country’s team boss, said he was “surprised by the fuss” surrounding the convicted child molester’s admission. He said “measures” had been taken, including placing him outside the athletes’ village.

Convicted rapist Steven Van de Velde was held in a high-security hotel outside the Olympic Village

Since there is no age limit at the Olympics and athletes as young as eleven years of age can take part in the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Association did not see itself as responsible for accommodating the convicted criminal in the Olympic Village.

He was banned from the Athletes’ Village at the Paris Olympics amid a huge outcry over his inclusion in the athlete pool for this year’s Olympics. In protest against his inclusion, more than 81,000 people had signed a petition demanding that all known sex offenders be banned from the Olympics indefinitely.

When he previously arrived in Paris by train, he was surrounded by a huge security team and taken to an alternative hotel room in the capital. The Dutch Olympic Committee reportedly put him up in a hotel on his guarantee.

BBC panellist apologises for previously expressed congratulations

In an interview, BBC sports pundit and former Olympian Paula Radcliffe surprisingly wished him “good luck”. She defended her actions by saying that she wished him good luck because he had turned his life around and was married.

Paula told LBC: “Punishing him (van de Velde) twice is tough. If he manages to turn his life around after his prison sentence, qualify and play sport at the highest level, then I really wish him the best of luck.”

However, her comments sparked a social media outcry and she faced massive criticism for wishing luck to a convicted rapist of an underage girl. After facing massive backlash, Radcliffe apologized for her comments.

She apologized, saying: “I would like to sincerely apologize and emphasize how much I categorically condemn the crime of rape. I am ashamed that my words have portrayed me so inaccurately. It was a mistake not to condemn this clearly from the beginning.”

In contrast to the case of convicted rapist Steven van de Velde, another athlete, Charlotte Dujardin, was barred from competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics because she was caught on video whipping her horse “24 times” four years ago. She is rightly facing an investigation by the sport’s governing body and has had her public funding cut. She has also now been sacked as an ambassador for an equine charity.

While the sports governing body cracked down on her case, the presence of Dutch beach volleyball rapist Steven van de Velde has tarnished the mega event. His presence at the 2024 Paris Olympics has brought shame to the sporting event as it represents a major setback to the world in deterring criminals, especially those who commit heinous crimes against minors.

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