Convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde cried during his first interview since competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where he was booed by spectators while playing beach volleyball for the Netherlands.
Van de Velde, 30, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after confessing to three counts of raping a 12-year-old British girl. He served just 12 months of his sentence.
Some spectators at the Olympics booed every time he served, before he and partner Matthew Immers lost in three sets to Brazil in the last 16 of the tournament.
During a press conference on Tuesday for the European Beach Volleyball Championships in The Hague, Van de Velde burst into tears when he talked about his experiences during the Olympic Games.
He said he had “definitely thought about” not entering the competition this year and that seeing a photo of his wife in a British tabloid “nearly destroyed him”, Dutch News reports.
Read more
“I did something wrong 10 years ago and I have to live with that,” he said, adding that “hurting people close to me,” including his wife and volleyball partner Matthew Immers, “went too far.”
“That was a moment where I thought, ‘Is it worth it for me?'” Van de Velde said. The athlete added: “I know it will play a role in the rest of my life. I have to accept that, because I made a mistake.”
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow Van de Velde to compete was met with criticism. According to Ciara Bergman, CEO of Rape Crisis England and Wales, it created a “huge sense of impunity”.
“If you can rape a child and still compete in the Olympics, despite all the athletes signing a statement promising to be role models, it’s just shocking,” she added.
The Survivors Trust previously told Yahoo News that the decision to allow Van De Velde to compete in the Olympics showed there was a “shocking tolerance for child sexual abuse” and called for a zero-tolerance policy.
However, the IOC defended the Dutch Olympic Committee’s decision to take Van de Velde to the Games. Spokesman Mark Adams said: “This is a matter that has been discussed with the National Olympic Committee and they assured us that there are many protections in place.”
Van de Velde reportedly stayed at a secret location during the tournament, at his own request, rather than in the athletes’ village. He did not take part in the usual post-match mixed zone interviews.
What did Steven van de Velde do?
In 2014, when he was 19, Van de Velde flew to the UK, where within two days he sexually abused a 12-year-old girl he had met online.
He knew how old the girl was because he had met her on Facebook before travelling from Amsterdam to an address in Milton Keynes.
The rape was reported to authorities after the girl visited a sexual health clinic for the morning-after pill on Van de Velde’s advice.
Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison at Aylesbury Crown Court in 2016. Judge Francis Sheridan told him at the time: “Your actions over those two days in England have destroyed your life and you could have been a leader in your sport if you had never come to England and committed these offences.”
After serving 12 months of his sentence, he was extradited to the Netherlands, where he would serve the remainder of his prison sentence, according to authorities.
After serving a month in his native country, Van de Velde was conditionally released from prison. In the Netherlands, his crimes were not considered rape, but sexual abuse. The 12-year-old was considered capable of giving consent.
The Dutch Olympic Committee believes that Van de Velde has served his sentence, completed a rehabilitation program and poses no risk of further offenses.
However, Sarah Blakemore, a research fellow at the University of Reading School of Law and chief executive of Keeping Children Safe, was not convinced. She said: “Convicted child rapists have no place at the Olympics, and neither do the officials who protect them.
“Every day, children in every country are abused, raped, beaten, neglected, exploited and even murdered because leaders in organizations value reputation, power and status over creating a safer organizational culture.
“Participants have been banned from the Olympics for a variety of reasons, including allegations of doping, marijuana use and horse abuse. Representing your country is a privilege and athletes are rightly expected to be role models.”
The Dutchman is still not allowed to speak to the girl he raped and is permanently registered on the British sex offenders register.
Paula Radcliffe apologizes for wishing Van de Velde success
British Olympic icon Paul Radcliffe was embroiled in controversy after wishing Van de Velde luck at the 2024 Games in Paris.
She told LBC Radio: “I know he’s married now and settled down.
“I think it’s tough to punish him twice. If he can get his life back on track after being in prison, qualify and play at the highest level, I wish him the best of luck.”
Radcliffe was referring to athletes who were caught doping and who were later allowed to return to sport after a suspension.
After her comments drew widespread criticism, Radcliffe apologized in a series of social media posts during the tournament.
“I’m ashamed that I worded it so poorly and didn’t condemn the rape out loud,” she said. “I do believe in second chances after serving time, but I think the Olympics are for those who uphold the ideals – that’s why I made the doping comparison poorly.
“I myself am shocked and disappointed at how badly I worded this. I am very sorry and I should have done much better. I absolutely did not want to ignore the crime and I wanted to say that those who do not uphold ideals should be excluded, but that cannot be.
“I sincerely apologize and am deeply shocked and disappointed in myself. I cannot understand how I could have conveyed it so poorly.”