Why is convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde allowed in Olympics?

A formation volleyball subordinate and convicted kid rapist from nan Netherlands is stirring outrage for his arguable inclusion connected nan Dutch Olympics team, sparking petitions and calls for nan International Olympics Committee (IOC) to analyse why he is being allowed to compete.

Steven van de Velde, 29, will beryllium competing pinch his partner Matthew Immers astatine nan 2024 Paris Olympics, 1 of 2 men’s teams from nan Netherlands that qualified for nan Olympics formation volleyball event. Except, dissimilar astir Olympic athletes, Van de Velde has a acheronian criminal background.

Steven van de Velde’s case, explained

Van de Velde was sentenced to 4 years successful situation successful 2016 aft he admitted to raping a 12-year-old British woman erstwhile he was 19. He had met nan woman connected societal media and they chatted online for respective months. He told a U.K. tribunal that he was alert of her property erstwhile he flew from Amsterdam to London successful 2014 to meet nan minor.

He raped nan woman respective times astatine her location while her mother was out. Van de Velde was caught aft he advised nan woman to get a morning-after pill. Staff astatine nan family readying session were concerned astir nan girl’s young property and alerted her family and nan police, the Athletic reports.

Van de Velde pleaded blameworthy to 3 counts of rape. The tribunal heard astatine his sentencing really his unfortunate felt truthful wracked pinch guilt pursuing his apprehension that she had begun self-harming.

“The affectional harm that has been caused to this kid is enormous,” Judge Francis Sheridan said astatine nan time. “As she matures, she will person to travel to recognize that you are not nan bully man she thought you were and hoped you mightiness be.”

Van de Velde served a twelvemonth successful situation successful nan U.K. earlier being extradited to nan Netherlands and resentenced according to Dutch law. He served 1 much period successful a Dutch situation earlier being released successful early 2017.

Despite his lawyers lamenting astatine proceedings that Van de Velde’s then-burgeoning diversion profession was over, nan formation volleyball subordinate almost instantly jumped backmost into competing for nan Netherlands nan aforesaid twelvemonth he was released from prison.

Why is he competing?

The Netherlands Volleyball Federation has been defending its jock publically since Van de Velde qualified for nan Olympics.

“After his release, Van de Velde sought and received master counselling. He has demonstrated to those astir him — privately and professionally — self-insight and reflection,” nan federation said.

It added that some nan federation and nan Netherlands Olympic Committee “rely connected nan opinions of experts who see nan chance of recidivism nil.”

The Dutch Olympic committee said Van de Velde met nan conditions required to return aft a condemnation and resumed his profession successful 2017 “after an intensive professionally supervised process.”

“Van de Velde now meets each nan qualification requirements for nan Olympic Games and is truthful portion of nan team,” nan committee said. In a connection posted to nan Netherlands Volleyball Federation’s website, Van de Velde wrote that his crimes person “been nan biggest correction of my life.”

“I understand that successful nan run-up to nan biggest sporting arena successful nan world, this tin pull nan attraction of world media,” he wrote. “I cannot reverse it, truthful I will person to carnivore nan consequences.”

Van de Velde has been barred from talking to nan media during nan Olympics and nan Dutch squad person chosen to move him to replacement accommodation successful Paris truthful he will not reside successful nan athletes’ village. The youngest Olympic jock astatine nan 2024 Games is conscionable 11 years old.

The IOC does not play a domiciled successful selecting Olympic athletes aliases mounting regulations for who tin participate. The world volleyball federation said it “recognizes that this is simply a highly delicate matter” but said squad action is nan work of nan nationalist Olympic committee “while respecting nan eligibility criteria.”

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International reactions

In a Monday property conference, Australian Olympic squad main Anna Meares stated that Australia would not person picked a convicted rapist to correspond nan state astatine nan Olympics.

“If an jock aliases unit personnel had that condemnation they would not beryllium allowed to beryllium a personnel of our team,” she said. “We person stringent policies connected safeguarding wrong our team.”

Meares pointed retired that Team Australia has a number of young athletes nether nan ages of 16 and 18, and that these policies are meant to protect them. Ciara Bergman, nan CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales, said it was “irresponsible” to let personification for illustration Van de Velde to compete astatine nan Olympics.

“If you tin rape a kid and still compete successful nan Olympics, contempt each athletes signing a declaration promising to beryllium a domiciled model, that is conscionable shocking,” she wrote.

Bergman is calling connected nan IOC to analyse really Van de Velde was allowed to beryllium selected for nan Dutch Olympics team: “How did we get here? How did we get to a spot wherever raping a kid is seen arsenic little important than nan badge personification mightiness triumph astatine nan Olympics? It’s conscionable extraordinary.”

An online petition started past period seeks to disqualify Van de Velde from nan Paris 2024 Games. It has truthful acold garnered much than 83,000 signatures, arsenic of Thursday afternoon.

“The tarnished grounds of Van De Velde should not beryllium swept nether nan rug,” sounds a connection from nan petition’s organizer Lauren Muir. “This is astir much than conscionable 1 person; it’s astir nan worldwide image of nan Olympics and nan benignant of nine we want to unrecorded in.”

— With files from The Associated Press