Volleyball player convicted of rape takes part in Olympic Games

A beach volleyball player who was jailed for raping a 12-year-old British girl will represent the Netherlands at the Paris Olympics.

Steven van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three counts of rape of a child in August 2014.

Van de Velde, who met his victim through Facebook, travelled from Amsterdam to the UK and raped the girl at an address in Milton Keynes.

He was allowed to serve his sentence in the Netherlands, but was released after just 12 months.

Van de Velde subsequently resumed his volleyball career and has been participating in international tournaments since 2018, “following an intensive, professionally supervised course,” the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) said.

He qualified for the Olympic Games in the national pairs with his partner Matthew Immers.

The Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) told BBC Sport: “After his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional counselling. He demonstrated self-awareness and self-reflection to those around him – both privately and professionally.”

The NOC stated that Van de Velde’s return to sport complied with the guidelines set out by the Dutch Volleyball Federation (NeVoBo) in the organisation’s Guidelines Integrity Record, which sets out the conditions for athletes to return to competition after a conviction.

It says that he has fulfilled “all qualification criteria for the Olympic Games.”

In previous interviews with Dutch media, Van de Velde said: “I can’t undo it, so I will have to face the consequences. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”

In a statement from the NOC, Van de Velde said: “In 2016 and after, several Dutch media outlets also paid attention to the story. I understand that this can attract international media attention in the run-up to the biggest sporting event in the world.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Dutch Volleyball Association and the International Volleyball Federation were asked for comment.