Steven van de Velde petition: Athletes’ interest groups demand a ban on child molesters at the Olympics

In a joint statement, three sports interest groups have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude child molester Steven van de Velde from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Content Warning: Descriptions of child abuse

The Summer Olympics are scheduled to begin on July 26. However, many are now considering boycotting the games after the Dutch Olympic Committee selected van de Velde to represent the Netherlands at the Olympics in beach volleyball. The committee has stuck with the nomination despite van de Velde being a convicted child molester. In 2014, when he was 19, he began communicating with a 12-year-old girl through Facebook and traveled all the way to England to meet her. He plied the child with alcohol and raped her multiple times. He then returned to the Netherlands but was extradited to the United Kingdom and arrested.

Van de Velde pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and was sentenced to four years in prison, of which he ultimately served only one year. Although his career was supposed to be over, the Dutch Volleyball Federation allowed him to continue his career almost immediately after his release. They have also doubled down on their support for him and decided to send him to the Olympics despite the protests.

A petition on Change.org calling for van de Velde’s disqualification has already collected 26,000 signatures at the time of writing, and several interest groups are now speaking out.

Interest groups demand action from the IOC

The Sports & Rights Alliance Athletes Network for Safer Sports, The Army of Survivors and Kyniska Advocacy released a joint statement calling on the IOC to take action against van de Velde. The groups called on the IOC to bar van de Velde from participating, stating: “An athlete convicted of child sexual abuse, no matter the country, should not be given the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games.” Kyniska Advocacy co-founder Kate Seary pointed out that his presence at the Olympics “disrespects and devalues ​​the survivor of his crimes” and sends the message to all survivors that “athletic performance is more important than crime.”

Army of Survivors executive director Julie Ann-Rivers Cochran also pointed out that, contrary to the arguments of the Dutch Olympic Committee, van de Velde has neither shown remorse nor proven himself to be an “exemplary professional and human being”. Instead, he has downplayed the seriousness of his crimes and portrayed them as a mere “misstep”. Joanna Maranhão, network coordinator of the Athletes Network for Safer Sports, reiterated that “being an Olympian is a privilege, not a right”. She also called on the organisation to look at the issue “through a moral lens” and consider the consequences of allowing van de Velde to be celebrated as an Olympian.

The statement also points to larger problems at the Olympics, such as the lack of background checks for sexual offenses committed by coaches, support staff or athletes. Finally, the statement lists three actions for the IOC. It calls on the organization to issue a statement disqualifying van de Velde from competing, “review and tighten Olympic eligibility criteria for all competitions,” and conduct background checks on everyone who will have access to the Olympic Village.

So far, the IOC has only clarified that it was not involved in the decision to nominate van de Velde. However, it has the power to withdraw his invitation to the Olympic Games at any time. It is to be hoped that the IOC will take seriously the statement from the athletes’ associations, which have succinctly explained why van de Velde should not be allowed to take part in the Olympic Games.