Australia would not select convicted rapist Van de Velde

A convicted rapist would not be selected for Australia’s Olympic team, says boss Anna Meares, after Steven van de Velde was named in the Dutch squad for Paris 2024.

Van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year-old British girl when he was 19.

The Dutchman, who met his victim on Facebook, travelled from Amsterdam to the UK and raped the girl at an address in Milton Keynes.

Van de Velde resumed his volleyball career after serving just 12 months of his four-year sentence and was called up to the Dutch Olympic team for Paris in June.

While Meares declined to comment specifically on the selection of another team, he said a convicted rapist would not be selected for Australia.

“If an athlete or employee had this conviction, they would not be allowed to become a member of our team,” Meares said.

“We have strict policies in place to protect our team.”

After his first nomination for Paris, the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) told BBC Sport: “After his dismissal, Van de Velde sought and received professional advice. He demonstrated self-awareness and self-reflection to those around him – 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.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that the selection of athletes for the Games was the responsibility of individual committees.

According to the Dutch news channel NL Times, Van de Velde will not stay overnight in the athletes’ village, but has been provided with alternative accommodation in Paris instead.

Van de Velde’s participation in the Games was criticized by women’s safety groups.