Dutch Olympic Committee supports volleyball player convicted of rape

Beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was accused and convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl, will participate in the Olympic Games in Paris with the support of the Dutch Volleyball Association and the Dutch Olympic organizers.

In 2016, van de Velde, now 29, was convicted of rape after having sex with an underage girl in England, the Dutch Volleyball Association said in a statement on its website. shared on social media on June 26th.

Van de Velde and his partner Matthew Immers have qualified to represent the Netherlands at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. According to the association, also known as Nevobo, Van de Velde has been competing in international volleyball tournaments since 2017.

In a statement on Nevobo’s website, van de Velde addressed the renewed attention to his past. The statement did not mention the person he raped; her name was not made public.

“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,” he said in a statement.

TODAY.com has asked the Dutch Volleyball Association for further comment from the organization and van de Velde, but has not received a response by press time.

Steven van de Velde’s conviction

In 2018, Van de Velde gave an interview to Dutch public broadcaster NOS about his conviction.

“I did what I did. I can’t take it back, so I’m going to have to face the consequences,” he said. “It was the biggest mistake of my life. It’s a huge mistake, nobody is going to deny that side of the story, and there’s nothing I can do about it now, so I just want to tell my side of the story.”

NOS reported that van de Velde met the 12-year-old girl through Facebook when he was 19. In 2014, he travelled to England to meet her.

“I made this spontaneous decision,” he said. “And I booked the ticket in the morning and left in the afternoon. As you know, things happened. We had sex and I came back the next day.”

In 2018, he said: “I can continue to blame myself a hundred thousand times for what happened and how it happened.”

According to Nevobo, Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison, part of which he served in England.

At the verdict, his lawyer said: “He is truly regretful. He has lost an outstanding sporting career and been branded a rapist. For him, this is clearly the end of his career,” the BBC reported in 2016.

When he was transferred to the Netherlands, his sentence was “adjusted”. NOS reported in 2018 that van de Velde spent a total of 13 months in prison.

After his release, he attended therapy and, according to Nevobo, showed “self-awareness and reflection.”

Van de Velde feels “gratitude” when he rewatches his 2018 interview, he said in a statement on Nevobo’s website.

“Because of the second chance I got from my parents, my friends, acquaintances and colleagues, who accepted me again after the biggest mistake of my young life,” he said in his statement. “I am also grateful to the Dutch Volleyball Association because they offered me a future in this beautiful sport again with clear conditions and agreements.”

“But I also think back to the teenager I was, who was insecure, not ready for a life as a top athlete and unhappy inside because I didn’t know who I was and what I wanted,” he continued.

Dutch Volleyball Association and Dutch Olympic organizers defend van de Velde

On its website, Nevobo stated that it supported van de Velde’s participation in Paris.

“We know Steven’s story. Before he expressed his desire to return to beach volleyball, we spoke extensively with him, but also with the NOC*NSF (Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Confederation) and others,” said Michel Everaert, general director of Nevobo, in a statement.

“He was convicted under English law at the time and has served his sentence,” continued Everaert. “From then on, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who has now fully reintegrated into the Dutch volleyball community. He is proving to be an exemplary professional and person and there has been no reason to doubt him since his return. We fully support him and his participation in Paris, which he and Matthew deserve.”

NOC*NSF also said they support van de Velde at the Paris Olympic Games.

“Van de Velde now meets all qualification requirements for the Olympic Games and is therefore part of the team,” the organization said.

Public reaction

Many people on the Internet expressed their outrage at the decision to send van de Velde to the Olympic Games.

On Instagram, Charlotte Proudman, lawyer and founder of the UK-based organization Right to Equality, commented on van de Velde’s participation, saying that no “child molester should represent a nation at the Olympics.”

“It is a slap in the face for survivors when a rapist is applauded as if nothing ever happened,” Proudman said.

“Why should girls and women report rape when society protects men and lets them live unharmed, ignoring the trauma of the victims?” Proudman added.

Sara Alaoui, founder and director of the Safe Space Club in Amsterdam, told the New York Times that van de Velde’s participation suggested: “If you are a white Adonis, you have less to answer for.”

“I don’t understand how we handle this in the Netherlands after MeToo,” she told the outlet. “We’re talking about child abuse here.”

People have also expressed concerns about X.

“This decision drives me mad!” wrote someone on X. “I am also outraged by the apathy towards this ridiculous, morally reprehensible decision! It is an insult to victims of sexual violence all over the world!”

Another Attracts attention on the title of Nevobo’s statement: “Support for Steven van de Velde, who recognizes that the past cannot be erased.”

“Do you know who already knows that the past cannot be erased?” the X-user wrote. “Victims of child sexual abuse.”