Olympics: Convicted rapist competing for the Netherlands banned from speaking to media

(Reuters) – The Dutch Olympic Committee is taking steps to mitigate the impact of the inclusion of a convicted rapist in its squad, a move that has sparked dismay among some women’s rights groups, the committee’s chef de mission said on Sunday.

Steven van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in the UK in 2016 after raping a 12-year-old girl two years earlier, when he was 19.

After serving part of his sentence there, he was transferred to the Netherlands and his sentence was adjusted to the norms of Dutch law. Van de Velde has been competing in beach volleyball again since 2017 and was named to the Dutch Olympic team last month.

The Dutch Olympic Committee, in consultation with van de Velde and his playing partner Matthew Immers, has taken steps to mitigate the impact of his participation by moving him to alternative accommodation in Paris and banning him from speaking to the media, mission chief Pieter van den Hoogenband said on Dutch television on Sunday.

“He will not downplay his conviction. We have to respect that and help him to perform as a member of the team,” he said.

Van den Hoogenband said van de Velde is trying to focus on his start in the Games, where he and Immers will face Italian opponents next Sunday.

Kate Seary, co-founder and director of Kyniska Advocacy, an organization that works to protect and respect women in sport, said: “His participation sends a message to everyone that athletic performance is more important than crime.”

Van den Hoogenband said the wave of criticism surprised him, as van de Velde has been active in international sport for some time and has taken part in world and European championships, among others.

“You can see that things are different around the Games. Around the Games they get even bigger,” said Van den Hoogenband.

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams reiterated on Saturday that the committee had no role in the decision on van de Velde’s nomination for the Games. The selection of athletes for the Olympic Games is the responsibility of the respective national committees.

“They made a statement and made it very clear that there are many security measures, special, additional security measures,” Adams said at a press conference in Paris.

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Alison Williams)