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A Dutch beach volleyball player who served prison time for raping a child 10 years ago will represent the Netherlands at this year’s Olympics.
Steven van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2014 for raping a 12-year-old girl, according to British media. He was released in 2017.
She has now been selected to represent the Netherlands in beach volleyball for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
“We know Steven’s history,” Michel Everaert, general director of Nevobo, the Dutch volleyball federation, said in a statement.
Everaert said the federation spoke extensively with the Dutch National Olympic Committee (NOC), the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and Van de Velde before her return to the game.
“He was convicted as per English law at that time and has served his sentence. Since then, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who is now fully integrated into the Dutch volleyball community, Everaert said in the statement.
According to Nevobo, Van de Velde served some of his sentence in England before being transferred to the Netherlands, where he was released and returned to play in 2017.
In 2018, Van de Velde told national broadcaster NOS: “I did what I did. I can’t take it back, so I have to face the consequences. Of course, you can decide. This is the biggest mistake of my life.”
“He is proving to be an exemplary professional and human being and there has been no reason to doubt him since his return,” Everart said.
The federation said Van de Velde knew this would restart “a dark period in his life” “but obviously he is not happy about it.”
In a statement released by Nevobo, Van de Velde said he was grateful for the opportunity.
“I think it could attract international media attention, ahead of the world’s biggest sporting event,” Van de Velde said.
He said, “I got a second chance from my parents, my friends, acquaintances and colleagues, who accepted me again after the biggest mistake of my then young life.”
“I am also grateful to the Dutch Volleyball Federation, because they offered me again a future in this beautiful sport, with clear conditions and agreements. But I also think about the teenage me who was insecure, unprepared for life as a top-class athlete and unhappy inside, because I didn’t know who I was and what I wanted.
Nevobo and the Dutch NOC said in a statement that they supported Van de Velde, adding that they, together with the FIVB, had consulted with experts who considered the chances of him re-offending as “zero”.
“Following his conviction and sentence, Steven Van de Velde returned to the highest level of play step-by-step under the expert guidance of probation and coaching, among others. He has been participating in international tournaments again since 2017, Nwobo said in a statement.
The Dutch NOC said Van de Velde returned to professional sport on the basis of its guidelines, “which, among other things, set out the conditions under which athletes in top-level sports may return after a punishment.”
“Van de Velde now meets all the qualification requirements for the Olympic Games and is therefore part of the team,” the committee said.
The International Olympic Committee told CNN that “nomination of individual team members, following qualification on the field of play, is the sole responsibility of each respective National Olympic Committee. Therefore, we will refer to the Dutch NOC for any further information.”
Juris Colon, CEO of the US Center for SafeSport, said in a statement sent to CNN that the organization was “deeply concerned that anyone convicted of sexual assault of a minor could compete in the 2024 Olympic Games.”
“With teams from around the world gathering in Paris, many of them including younger athletes, it sends a dangerous message that medals and money matter more than their safety. “Participating in sports is a privilege, not a right.”