The Olympics are about role models… not about a man who raped a twelve-year-old?

WHEN the Paris Olympic Games began with a stunning ceremony on the Seine, we all knew that disgraced dressage star Charlotte Dujardin would not be among the 10,500 athletes.

And she doesn’t deserve that.

This was due to footage from four years ago in which she can be seen whipping her horse “24 times like an elephant in the circus.”

She is under investigation by the sport’s governing body, her public funding has been cut and she has now been sacked as an ambassador for a horse charity. Good.

There is no place for a woman like her at the Olympic Games, such an inspiring event where the true heroes of our children are shaped.

Yes, there have been cheating and doping scandals over the years, but these Games are really about setting an example.

How on earth can it be that among the athletes at Paris 2024 there is a man who raped a 12-year-old child in Great Britain just eight years ago?

Beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde was 19 when he contacted the girl via Facebook, travelled from the Netherlands to Milton Keynes in 2014, plied her with alcohol and raped her.

He was fully aware of her age and, heartbreakingly, only stopped when she complained of pain.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of child rape and was sentenced to four years in prison at Aylesbury Crown Court in 2016.

Van de Velde spent 12 months in a British prison before being extradited to his home country, where he was released after another month.

Since then, the poor girl – who has just left puberty – has been self-harming and taking drug overdoses.

But he is allowed to represent his country.

What an absolute disgrace.

The Dutch National Olympic Committee said he had served his sentence and completed a comprehensive rehabilitation program, with experts concluding that the man was no longer at risk of reoffending.

The narrow-minded team leader of the country,

Pieter van den Hoogenband says he is “surprised by the fuss” surrounding the child molester who will compete today and says “measures” have been taken, including placing him outside the athletes’ village.

That’s probably the only responsible thing he did, because there’s no age limit at the Olympics and there’s a young girl there who’s only eleven years old.

Van de Velde’s volleyball partner Matthew Immers described him as “like a second father” with whom he feels “comfortable”.

One wonders if he would feel the same way if he himself were the father of a 12-year-old girl. I doubt it.

In an interview, BBC pundit and Olympian Paula Radcliffe surprisingly said that she wished him “good luck” because he had turned his life around and was married.

She quickly realized how tasteless this was after being criticized and rightly apologized.

Yes, he turned his life around, but I doubt his victim did.

Imagine her pain when she sees this despicable human being standing on the podium with a medal around his neck and a big grin on his face, as if what he did to her didn’t matter.

That would be a slap in the face for them – and what deterrent does that offer to men who are considering rape?

Anna Meares, head of the Australian team, said if an “athlete or staff member expressed this belief” they would not be on her team.

And it is a consolation to us that in our country we would have removed Van de Velde from our sport long before he came anywhere near the British team.

The same obviously cannot be said of the Netherlands or the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is staying out of the situation and declaring that the selection of athletes is solely in the hands of the individual committees.

So who will compete in the Olympics next?

An armed robber? A pedophile?

Fuck it, let’s put a murderer on the podium for children all over the world to idolize.

They can do that too.

Because the IOC seems to have the same low morals as the Netherlands.

In this case, there is a risk that the games will be tainted forever.

Courageous to express one’s grief

When I saw Amanda Abbington’s interview with Krishnan Guru Murthy, I realised how much Strictly has actually impacted her life.

There are people who have been attacking her since her first statement and doubting her statements.

The insults she received for her courage are disgusting.

She and her daughter received “rape threats,” her son received death threats, and people told the actress they wanted her to “die of cancer.”

She says the situation was “brutal, relentless and unforgiving” and there were dozens of threats every day.

Amanda said she came forward because she “doesn’t want people to be afraid to speak out.”

It was heartbreaking to see her holding back her tears, playing with her fingers and clenching her hands in fear.

Can we please consider that if this brave woman had not raised her concerns, the incident involving Zara McDermott may not have come to light, and her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima would probably have had no problem moving on to the next season too.

For that alone, Amanda deserves praise.

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WHAT an idiot Chris Martin from Coldplay is.

He has sharply criticized the prison sentences imposed on five activists of the “Just Stop Oil” campaign and is one of several celebrities seeking a meeting with Justice Minister Richard Hermer to discuss “the imprisonment of truth-tellers.”

The leader of the M25 demonstration, Roger Hallam, received five years and four members of his gang received four years each.

These “truth tellers” caused utter chaos, preventing people from going to work, funerals, hospital appointments, or visiting dying relatives.

But Chris is probably unaware of the chaos on our roads since he lives thousands of miles away… in California.

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COSMIC ORDER IN THE GAME

Lucky Audrey Cobb and her three children have just won the National Lottery jackpot after playing the same numbers since the lottery was introduced in 1994.

I have to.

But while the lucky family from Peterborough have just had £1 million paid into their bank account, my maximum win is annoyingly £50 – and I’ve calculated that I’ve spent more than £5,000 on tickets.

Audrey’s son David says he “always” thought they would win.

I always thought Noel Edmonds’ belief in the power of “cosmic order” was complete hocus-pocus, but maybe that’s the key to getting what you want.

So… I’m going to win the lottery jackpot.

Ha! I can’t wait!

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The NHS recommends that we eat fish twice a week. After all, it’s so healthy.

But if you are going on holiday to South America, I would avoid this at all costs.

Cocaine was found in the sharks.

The good news is that experts say there is no evidence that the drug is causing aggressive shark attacks, but it is likely that it is causing more fish in the region to become contaminated.

Gives a whole new meaning to the term “highly processed foods.”

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Love and laughter

SPEED dating is making a comeback and the number of participants is increasing rapidly, which is great news for all singles.

People love it because it eliminates the annoying swiping, scrolling, disgusting messages, and photoshopped profile pictures.

It’s actually a bit like dating in the old days, only better because you have a room full of people who can’t wait to go on a date – and there are built-in drinks on hand as icebreakers.

The days when speed dating was an embarrassing affair are apparently over and the mood is more towards “a fun evening”.

Oh, to be single again

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IMAGINE going to a child’s birthday party that gets so out of control that the hostess is told she sucks at her job and, in the middle of the party, is accused of having an affair with another woman’s husband.

Sounds terrible.

But comedian Katherine Ryan says that’s exactly what happened at her daughter Violet’s seventh birthday party because “there’s always alcohol at my kids’ parties… but this year was the worst.”

Apparently the mothers had gone crazy from the champagne.

Imagine if it wasn’t the home of a rich celebrity, but a small house in a run-down housing estate where they drank cider.

Then maybe someone will actually call the social welfare office.

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J-LO’S GLO AFTER BEN’S NO-APPEARANCE

THANKS to a recent dose of Covid, I was finally able to watch Bridgerton from start to finish in bed and understand what all the fuss is about.

Apparently J-Lo is also a fan.

She and her friends played dress-up in Regency-era costumes for her 55th birthday party and the fun-loving singer shared with her fans on Instagram: “Dearest reader… and a great night had by all.”

It probably helped that her grumpy husband Ben Affleck was nowhere to be seen.