The arrival of a convicted rapist competing on the Dutch beach volleyball at the Olympics has renewed calls for his exclusion.
Steven van de Velde was found guilty of three counts of rape involving a 12-year-old girl in the UK in 2016. The Dutchman was 19 when he met the girl in 2014. He was sentenced to four years in prison and served 12 months of his sentence before being released.
When it was announced he would be part of the team several rape support charities criticised his inclusion, but the Dutch Olympic delegation has defended him.
The Survivors Trust, a UK-based group which supports victims of sexual violence, told Yahoo News they found support for Van de Velde disturbing. “The rape of a child was planned, calculated involving international travel and will undoubtedly cause his victim lifelong trauma, irreversibly changing the course of her life,” they said.
The anger at his involvement in the games has not died down in recent days with renewed focus being put on Van de Velde as he arrived for the competition.
The Dutch Volleyball Association has defended his inclusion in a lengthy statement about the situation titled "Support for Steven van de Velde, who realizes past cannot be erased" and said they fully supported him.
Read the latest key developments of the controversy below ⬇️
IOC urged to investigate | Radcliffe apologises for comments | Partner defends Van De Velde | Barred from talking to media | Van de Velde avoids Olympic Village [Click to skip]
➡️ IOC urged to investigate van de Velde's inclusion
The IOC is facing calls for an investigation into how a convicted child rapist has been allowed to compete at Paris 2024, on the eve of the opening of the Games.
Amid growing public outrage at the presence of the Netherlands beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde... Ciara Bergman, the CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales said the “irresponsible” inclusion ... created an “enormous sense of impunity”, adding: “If you can rape a child and still compete in the Olympics, despite all athletes signing a declaration promising to be a role model, that is just shocking,” she said.
Read the full story IOC faces calls for investigation into inclusion of child rapist at Olympics [The Guardian, 25 July]
➡️ Paula Radcliffe apologises for 'best of luck' message
In an interview on LBC, Radcliffe, who will be in Paris working for the BBC, was asked whether there should be rules regarding the participation of certain athletes.
She said: “I think it’s a tough thing to do to punish him twice and if he’s managed to successfully turn his life around after being sent to prison and to qualify and to be playing sport at the highest level, then I actually wish him the best of luck,” she added.
Read the full story Paula Radcliffe says sorry for wishing Paris Olympics convicted child rapist ‘best of luck’ [Evening Standard, 25 July]
➡️ Partner defends van de Velde
The playing partner of Steven van de Velde ... has described him as being “like a second father to me”.
Matthew Immers, the other half of the Netherlands pair, has mounted a staunch defence of his team-mate. “I feel comfortable with him, we take good care of each other,” he said. “I’m 23, he’s 29. He’s also a kind of a second father to me, who supports me. Now we’re going to the Games and it has become a big thing. But everything else has stayed the same."
Read the full story Dutch rapist Steven van de Velde’s partner issues staunch defence of Olympic selection [The Telegraph, 23 July]
➡️ Van de Velde banned from talking to the media
The Dutch Olympic committee, in consultation with van de Velde and playing partner Matthew Immers, have taken steps to mitigate the impact of his participation by ... putting a ban on him talking to the media, chef de mission Pieter van den Hoogenband told Dutch television on Sunday.
"He's not going to downplay it (his conviction). We have to respect that and help him as a member of the team to be able to perform," he said.
Read the full story Convicted rapist competing for Netherlands barred from speaking to media [Reuters, 21 July]
➡️ Van de Velde avoids Olympic Village
Steven van de Velde, sentenced in 2016 to four years in prison, is said to have sought alternative accommodation while he competes as he attempts to keep a low profile. Despite his criminal record in the UK, Van de Velde arrived in Paris with the “full support” of the Dutch Volleyball Federation.
German outlet Bild had been first to report he was going against athlete tradition by staying away from the village. His partner in the beach volleyball team, Matthew Immers, is understood to be staying in the village, however, and will front media duties after matches.
Read the full story Dutch volleyball player convicted of rape of British girl stays away from Olympic Village [The Telegraph, 19 July]
