Allowing a Dutch volleyball player convicted of child rape to compete in the Olympic Games is a disgrace

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IBefore major sporting events, stories always emerge about the athletes taking part – stories of triumph against all odds, incredible recoveries from injuries, their superhuman dedication. The “life journey” of an athlete is what makes sport so exciting.

Every now and then a far less pleasant story emerges: doping, cheating, an offensive remark at a press conference. We are used to athletes being “real.” But this week came a revelation that will have shocked many Olympic fans. I am not the only one who is now questioning the moral boundaries of elite-level competition.

The story is about 29-year-old Steven van de Velde, a Dutch international beach volleyball player who will compete for his country at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

He is also a convicted child rapist and was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of raping a 12-year-old British schoolgirl he met on Facebook.

Van de Velde was 19 years old at the time of the sexual assault. He met the girl through social media and travelled to the UK in August 2014, where he raped her at an address in Milton Keynes. It was only because he suggested that she get the morning-after pill at a family planning clinic that the authorities were alerted due to her age.

Van de Velde had since returned to the Netherlands, but was extradited and arrested in January 2016. A judge at Aylesbury Crown Court sentenced him to four years in prison, but he was allowed to return to the Netherlands to serve his sentence. He was released after a year.

After his arrest, Van de Velde said: “I want to correct all the nonsense that was written about me when I was incarcerated. I deliberately didn’t read any of it, but I understand that it was pretty bad that I was branded a sex monster, a paedophile. I’m not that – really not.”

To which I answer: Yes, you are.

They pleaded guilty to raping a 12-year-old girl when they were 19. The Cambridge dictionary defines “paedophile” as: “Someone who has a sexual interest in children.”

And now, for a reason known only to the men’s committee that selects the Dutch Olympic team, Steven is one of those lucky people who will be able to proudly wear his national colours and compete at the pinnacle of competitive sport this summer.

The Dutch Olympic Committee said in a statement that there was no reason to exclude Van de Velde from participating in the Games: “Since 2018, Steven van de Velde has been participating in international beach volleyball tournaments again after an intensive, professionally supervised career.”

So basically they’ll just leave his crime in the past and pretend it never happened. Who cares about a lack of integrity? All we need is a gold medal, right?

I can only imagine how the victim’s family reacts to the news that their daughter’s rapist will now have the chance to achieve fame and glory on the biggest international sporting stage. They are probably sickened.

I firmly believe that convicted criminals should be allowed to have a life after serving their sentence, as with any crime. If that life is related to sport, that’s fine. But when athletes reach an elite level – and that’s crucial – they automatically become role models for the next generation. And frankly, I don’t care how well you can hit a volleyball over a net, I don’t want My Son or daughter who looks up to a man who once raped a child.

At least Van de Velde will not have an easy time of it in Paris this summer. Anyone whose Wikipedia page begins with “Steven van de Velde (born 8 August 1994) is a Dutch beach volleyball player. He is a convicted child molester and has been on the sex offenders’ register in the United Kingdom for life since 2016” will struggle to remain undetected. And nor should they.

When asked about his selection this week, the head of Australia’s Olympic team said a convicted rapist would never be chosen to represent the team. The Dutch team, meanwhile, has said Van de Velde will not be allowed to take part in media interviews during the Games.

Van de Velde has chosen a path that puts him as a successful sportsman directly in the international spotlight. Ultimately, I strongly suspect – as with most questionable or controversial situations in sport – the fans in the stands will voice their opinion. It will be an incredibly unpleasant experience for the Dutchman. And that is nothing less than what he deserves.