‘Proud with gratitude’: Olympic Dutch child rapist Steven van de Velde breaks down in tears

The convicted child rapist who competed in beach volleyball at the Olympics broke down in tears as he claimed he considered pulling out of the Games to protect his family.

In his first interview since returning to the Netherlands, Steven van de Velde also blamed English media coverage for the boos and jeers he faced in Paris.

The 30-year-old, who served one year of a four-year sentence for raping a 12-year-old British girl when he was 19, added he feels “proud with gratitude” to those who supported him.

However, when asked whether he ever had second thoughts about competing, he told Dutch media: “I definitely thought about it, yes.”

Van de Velde’s Olympics ended without a medal after a last-16 defeat against Brazil. He had been booed by crowds throughout the Games, playing alongside volleyball partner Matthew Immers.

“I did something wrong, 10 years ago – I have to accept that,” he said. “But hurting people around me – whether it’s Matthew, my wife, my child ... that just goes too far for me. That’s definitely a moment where I thought, is this worth it?”

Steven van de Velde serves in a beach volleyball match against Italy.Credit: AP

Van de Velde was imprisoned in 2016 after admitting three counts of child rape. His inclusion in the Dutch team had been criticised by women’s and safeguarding groups but in a previous interview with Dutch media, he had said: “I can’t reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences. It has been the biggest mistake of my life.”

Van de Velde has now criticised English media for reporting on his background and stoking the controversy. “Before the Games I was forwarded an article in which they had posted my wife’s photo,” he said on Tuesday at a press conference reported by De Telegraaf. “That really went too far. I don’t care what people do to me.”

Steven van de Velde with his partner Matthew Immers.Credit: Getty Images

While all athletes are generally duty-bound under International Olympic Committee rules to make themselves available to the media after competing, Van de Velde was granted approval by the Netherlands team to avoid journalists while in Paris. He also stayed away from the athletes’ village where several teams were appalled that he had been called up to compete.

It seems unlikely he will attempt to play at another Olympics. “My son’s future is more important to me than my career,” he said at his training complex in The Hague, where he competes this week alongside Immers at the European Beach Volleyball Championship.

Van de Velde claims his father’s name was mentioned in British newspapers as well as his own old address. “Get me, but please leave my family alone,” he said. “That goes beyond boundaries. So I have to think carefully about the future: The future of my son (who is two years old) is more important to me than my career or anything else. That is a hard limit for me.”

Van de Velde expressed gratitude to the Dutch team, however. “I am extremely happy with the people who helped me,” he said, before later adding “I am almost proud with gratitude. Most athletes have their fondest Olympic memories from the sport itself, I have them from the relationships with people outside the competitions.”

London Telegraph