Warning: This article contains mentions of child abuse, please proceed with caution.
The Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation (NOC*NSF for short) has caused an uproar in the sporting world after announcing a convicted child rapist will be participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
29-year-old Steven van de Velde will represent Team NL alongside Matthew Immers as one of two Dutch beach volleyball teams at this year’s event. The Dutch Olympic Committee is standing by their nomination despite ample opposition (petitions have been set up to disqualify van de Velde from the games).
In 2011, he won the Under-20 Dutch National Championships. In 2015, he partnered with Michiel van Dorsten at the European Games. And in 2018, he finished third at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour alongside Dirk Boehlé. So, it turns out that being good at volleyball is enough for the NOC*NSF to overlook his criminal past.
But did he really commit crimes as heinous as we’ve just described? The NOC*NSF wouldn’t allow an *actual child rapist* to represent them on the global stage, surely?
Is Steven van de Velde really a child rapist?
Yes, unfortunately, Steven van de Velde really is a convicted child rapist.
In 2014, when he was 19, the beach volleyball player was convicted of having sex with a minor – a girl of just 12 years old – and sentenced to four years in jail. However, he was released in 2017 and resumed his career.
Having communicated with her beforehand, van de Velde traveled to Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom from his home country to rape the girl. A local newspaper, the MK Citizen, has described how the victim has self-harmed and overdosed since the horrific incident.
A statement published by NOC*NSF says:
“He was convicted at the time according to English law and he has served his sentence. From then on, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who has now been fully reintegrated into the Dutch volleyball community. He is proving to be an exemplary professional and human being and there has been no reason to doubt him since his return. We fully support him and his participation in Paris, which he and Matthew have earned.”
It’s probably best not to say what we’re really thinking, as this is an utterly staggering viewpoint on the part of the Dutch Olympic Committee. Suffice it to say, let’s hope those petitions work.
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.