A Dutch beach volleyball player who was convicted in 2016 of raping an underaged girl will be isolated from his teammates at the Paris Olympics and banned from talking to the media, officials said Sunday.
Steven van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting three counts of rape against a 12-year-old girl, according to British newspaper The Telegraph in a recent report.
He served part of his sentence in Britain and was then transferred to the Netherlands, where he was eventually released and took up volleyball again in 2017.
In order to “establish calm”, the Dutch Olympic Committee decided Sunday that Van de Velde would also not be allowed to enter the Olympic Athletes Village, Dutch press agency ANP reported.
According to the Dutch Volleyball Federation, he admitted to having made “the biggest mistake of (his) young life”.
“I cannot go back, so I will have to bear the consequences.”
The Dutch Olympic Committee and the country’s volleyball federation said they had consulted experts who judged there is “zero chance” of Van de Velde reoffending.
Former swimming star and head of the Dutch delegation to the Paris Games, Pieter van den Hoogenband, said he was “surprised at the agitation around” the athlete.
“He has been active in international sport and the world of beach volleyball for a long time,” Van den Hoogenband told broadcaster NOS.
“He has participated in World Cups, European Championships and World Cups, but you see that around the Games it is different. Things are amplified around the Games.
“We have taken good steps together. All the athletes are dear to me and I try to support them,” said the former swimmer, who believes Van de Velde is “holding on strong despite the turmoil”.
Australian Olympic Committee Slams Velde’s Inclusion
Australia would not pick a convicted rapist for the Olympics, team chief Anna Meares said on Monday after the Netherlands selected van de Velde.
Meares said she would not comment specifically on another team’s selection criteria and processes.
“If an athlete or staff member had that conviction they would not be allowed to be a member of our team,” Meares told a press conference. “We have stringent policies on safeguarding within our team.”
His selection, however, has angered women’s and sports rights groups who said the Dutch decision to include him was sending the wrong message.
The selection of athletes for the Olympics rests with each national Olympic committee.
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