Convicted child rapist allowed to compete in Olympics breaks silence and weeps after getting booed throughout games
A convicted child rapist who competed at the Olympic Games and was booed throughout has broken his silence on the matter.
Steven van de Velde represented the Netherlands in beach volleyball, but his participation in the Olympics received widespread backlash because in 2014 he raped a 12-year-old girl.
He had met the girl, who lived in the UK, on Facebook and travelled to meet her in full knowledge of her age.
In 2016 he was convicted on three counts of rape and sentenced to four years in prison, but only served one of those and continued to represent the Netherlands afterwards.
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His controversial participation occurred as the Dutch Olympic Committee felt the convicted child rapist had been successfully rehabilitated, and the International Olympic Committee were satisfied with this.
Now Dutch outlet NOS Sport reports that Van de Velde has spoken out about participating in the Olympics, crying as he did so.
"I definitely had a moment of breaking down, both before the tournament and during it. But I thought 'I'm not going to give others the power to bully me away or get me away'," he said.
"It's certainly not nothing that's been fired at you. I think it's a shame, it's been 10 years, I've played more than 100 tournaments.
"I understand that it's an issue, should someone with such a past be allowed to stand on such a podium? That's a legitimate question."
The question of whether someone convicted of raping a child ought to be provided the opportunity to compete in the Olympics, where cheering and adulation for the athletes participating is commonplace, received an answer from the spectators who showered Van de Velde with loud and consistent booing.
Plenty in the crowd at Paris 2024 made it clear they didn't want to see Van de Velde competing and greeted each of his appearances with boos.
Van de Velde's teammate Matthew Immers said he was 'disappointed' at the Olympic crowd's reactions after one of their games.
He said: "It is what it is. I was disappointed with the fans. We talked on the field and asked ourselves: what do we need from each other? It was worse than in the first game."
After the Olympics Van de Velde also spoke about the way people would see him.
He said: "Someone can hold me responsible for what happened forever. That's okay, someone has the right to do that, but I try to focus on what I can influence.
"I know this will play a role for the rest of my life. I have to accept that, because I made a mistake."
It is not just at the Olympics that Van de Velde has competed for the Netherlands, as today (13 August) marks the beginning of the European Beach Volleyball Championships where he will be playing a part.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
Joe Harker