Convicted child molester takes part in Olympic beach volleyball

A convicted child rapist will compete in the Olympics on Sunday despite being a registered sex offender.

Steven van de Velde, a Dutch beach volleyball player, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for traveling to Milton Keynes, England, at the age of 19 and raping a 12-year-old schoolgirl he had met on Facebook.

But he will step onto the special sand of the Olympic beach volleyball court in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower to represent the Netherlands in a first-round match against Italy.

Van de Velde, now 29, was only caught because he had not used contraceptives and advised the girl to get the morning-after pill at a family planning clinic. Because of her age, her family and the police were then notified.

After his extradition from the Netherlands, van de Velde pleaded guilty to three counts of rape of a child.

The British judge admonished him: “Your hopes of representing your country are now a shattered dream.” His lawyer said: “He has lost an outstanding sporting career … this is clearly the end of his career.”

Van de Velde spent a year in a British prison before being transferred to the Netherlands, where he served a further month and was released in 2017 because the Netherlands’ sexual offences laws were less strict for minors.

“Everyone wants to be liked, everyone wants to be respected, and when something like that is on your record, it’s difficult,” he said in a Dutch television interview after his release. “I can’t undo it, so I have to accept the consequences. It’s the biggest mistake of my life.”

In another newspaper interview he said: “I have been branded as a sex monster, a paedophile. I am not that – really not.”

Van de Velde, a Dutch national champion, has pursued a career as a professional beach volleyball player since his release and has competed in international tournaments, but his nomination as an Olympian has been heavily criticized by survivors’ groups.

Andrew Nelles/Reuters

The Dutch Olympic Committee defended its decision to include him in the team, saying that van de Velde would neither live in the Olympic Village nor speak to the media.

“Steven is NOT a paedophile (sic); you really don’t think the Dutch (Olympic Committee) would send someone to Paris who IS a real risk?” a spokesperson for the Dutch Olympic Committee wrote in response to public criticism, according to The Guardian. “No, he is not a risk.”

“Van de Velde has fully complied with all requirements and adhered to all strict risk assessment thresholds, controls and due diligence,” the Dutch Olympic Committee said in a separate statement. “Experts have stated that there is no risk of reoffending. Van de Velde has always remained transparent about the case, which he describes as the most serious misstep of his life. He deeply regrets the consequences of his actions for those involved. He has spoken openly about the personal transformation he has undergone as a result.”

Ibraheem Al-Omari/Reuters

He has been married to a German beach volleyball player since 2022 and the couple has a 2-year-old son.

“When van de Velde looks in the mirror today, he sees a mature and happy man, married and father of a beautiful son,” says the Dutch Volleyball Association’s website.

A petition calling on the International Olympic Committee to bar known sex offenders from participation has collected nearly 81,000 signatures.

The Brave Movement, a global movement to end childhood sexual violence, demanded in an open letter that the Dutch Olympic Committee should oust him from office. “We believe this is the only appropriate measure.”

“An athlete convicted of child sexual abuse, no matter what country, should not be given the opportunity to compete in the Olympics,” said Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran, executive director of the Army of Survivors. The New York Times“Rape of a minor is not a ‘misstep’ – it is a criminal offense that should disqualify people from participating in the Olympic Games.”