Netherlands criticized for bringing rape case to 2024 Olympic Games

JAKARTA: The Dutch have been criticised by Australia for their decision to include rape-convicted Steven van de Velde in their team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The head of the Australian contingent, Anna Meares, did not want to comment specifically on the Netherlands’ decision. She stressed, however, that his country would never bring anyone into the team who had legal problems.

“If athletes or staff have criminal problems, they are not allowed to become a member of our team. We have strict policies regarding the culture of protection within our team,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC.

The 29-year-old beach volleyball athlete was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year-old British girl.

Van de Velde, who was 19 at the time, first met his victims via the social network Facebook.

He then decided to travel from Amsterdam to England and raped the victim at an address in Milton Keynes. His actions earned him a four-year prison sentence.

Steven van de Velde served part of his sentence in England before being transferred to the Netherlands to serve the remainder of his sentence under the legal norms of his home country.

However, he resumed his beach volleyball career in 2017 after serving only 12 months of his sentence. Yesterday, in June 2024, he was selected for the Dutch Olympic team for Paris.

“After his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional counselling. He showed insight and self-reflection to those around him, personally and professionally,” the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) said.

The NOC stated that Van de Velde’s return to the coastal volleyball team was in line with the guidelines set out by the Dutch Volleyball Association (NeVoBo) in the organisation’s Guidelines Integrity Note.

In short, I decided to keep training until I managed to get the job done as quickly as possible.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that the selection of athletes for the Olympic Games is the responsibility of each national Olympic committee.

According to the Dutch newspaper NL Times, Van de Velde will not stay in the athletes’ village during his stay in Paris, but he has been provided with alternative accommodation in Paris. He has also been banned from speaking to the media.

Van de Velde’s participation in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games has been sharply criticized by several women’s rights organizations, including Kyniska Advocacy.

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