Steven van de Velde's Olympic Participation Sparks Backlash

Steven van de Velde, a Dutch beach volleyball player, is set to represent the Netherlands at the Paris Olympics, despite receiving a four-year prison sentence in 2016 for admitting to three counts of raping a 12-year-old British girl. Van de Velde committed the assaults in August 2014 in Milton Keynes, UK, after traveling from Amsterdam to meet the victim, whom he had connected with on Facebook.

After serving just 12 months of his sentence, Van de Velde resumed his volleyball career and has actively participated in international tournaments since 2018. This decision followed an intensive and professionally supervised trajectory as part of his rehabilitation program, overseen by the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC). Steven van de Velde has successfully qualified for the Olympics in the national pair category, partnering with Matthew Immers.

The NOC has confirmed that Van de Velde met all the qualification criteria outlined in the Dutch Volleyball Federation’s “Guidelines Integrity Record” for athletes with criminal records. The committee has highlighted Van de Velde’s proactive efforts to seek professional counseling, demonstrate self-insight and reflection, and accept the consequences of his past actions.

The NOC firmly believes that his return to competitive sports aligns with the guidelines set by the federation. Efforts are ongoing to obtain comments from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Dutch Volleyball Federation, and the International Volleyball Federation regarding Van de Velde’s participation in the Olympics.

In conclusion, despite his past actions, Steven van de Velde has earned the opportunity to compete in the Paris Olympics based on his successful completion of a rehabilitation program, adherence to the guidelines set by the Dutch Volleyball Federation, and the support of the Dutch Olympic Committee.