When convicted child rapist and Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde competed in the Paris Olympics, many wondered why he was allowed to be there. Van de Velde, 30, was convicted in 2016 of raping a 12-year-old girl. He first met the 12-year-old girl online and allegedly thought she was 16 at first. After finding out that she was actually 12, he continued to talk to her and eventually flew to the United Kingdom to meet her in 2014. After raping her, he encouraged her to get a morning-after pill. The clinic the girl went to informed her family and the police since she was only 12 years old, per Time magazine.
Van de Velde was sentenced in England for raping the girl. Though he was sentenced to four years in prison, he actually spent 13 months in prison. After serving part of his sentence in the United Kingdom, he was extradited to the Netherlands, where he was released after less than a month. This is because of differing laws in the two countries. In the UK, a 12-year-old cannot consent to sex, so van de Velde was convicted of rape. In the Netherlands, he probably would've been convicted of a lesser crime, reported The Guardian. The crime he committed probably would've been considered "ontucht, sexual acts that violate social-ethical norms," rather than rape, according to the outlet.
A lot of people were confused about how van de Velde could possibly qualify for the Olympics after being convicted of rape. As he competed, van de Velde was booed and met with criticism from people who thought he shouldn't be there. Unlike most athletes, he did not speak to the press during the Olympics. In an interview with Dutch national broadcaster NOS after the Paris Olympics, he admitted that he considered quitting and not competing in the Olympics but ultimately decided to ignore the backlash.
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"I thought: 'I don’t want that. I'm not going to give others the power to decide they can bully me away or get rid of me,'" he said in Dutch, per The Guardian.
Part of the reason he considered quitting, he said, is because some publications also targeted his family. "I did something wrong, 10 years ago — I have to accept that," he said, per The Telegraph. "But hurting people around me — whether it’s Matthew [Immers], my wife, my child …that just goes too far for me. That’s definitely a moment where I thought, is this worth it?"
He felt that bringing his family into it took the criticism too far, but he claimed that he understood why people were upset about him participating in the Olympics. Ultimately, though, he distanced himself from what he did, saying that it happened 10 years ago.
"Do you want somebody with a history? Can he stand on the podium? That is a legitimate question to ask," he said, per the Associated Press. "I'm not the person I was 10 years ago."
The Dutch Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) supported van de Velde's participation in the Olympics and shared a statement on its website in which van de Velde said the crime he committed was "the biggest mistake of my life."
"I cannot reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences," he said in the statement. In his recent interview, he reiterated this.
"I can’t change what people think of me," he said. "Someone can hold me responsible forever for what happened and that’s OK, because that’s what it is. It is their right. So, I accept that."
Though he "accepts" it, many social media users feel that van de Velde's comments lack true remorse.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
