Criticism of Olympic officials decision to allow convicted rapist to compete in Paris continues

Convicted rapist Steven Van de Velde has been muzzled from speaking at the Paris Games as Olympic bosses try to quell growing criticism of his participation at the Olympics.

Steven van de Velde has been muzzled from speaking at the Olympics.

Convicted rapist Steven Van de Velde has been muzzled from speaking at the Paris Olympic Games as Olympic bosses try to quell growing criticism of his participation in the beach volleyball competition.

The Australian exclusively revealed earlier this month that Van de Velde, 29, has been allowed to represent the Netherlands at the Games despite having been convicted to four years jail for raping a 12 year old British girl in 2014.

The player only served 13 months of the sentence and resumed his sporting career months after being released in 2017.

The Dutch national Olympic Committee confirmed Van de Velde won’t be staying in the Olympic athletes village and won’t speak to journalists.

Van de Velde was convicted of raping a 12-year-old in 2014.

But Van de Velde’s opening game, with his playing partner Mathew Immers , will take place underneath the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday July 31 playing Chile will attract huge international scrutiny.

Olympic officials are reviewing the usual protocols for Van de Velde where athletes usual walk through a “mixed zone” after competition, where they can face questions from television, radio and print journalists.

If the protocol is changed for Van de Velde, and he is whisked away without facing the media, it will invite huge criticism of the organisers and the IOC that they are protecting a convicted rapist.

Child protection and women’s groups have opposed Van de Velde being allowed to have the honour of competing in the Olympics on the world stage. The British Olympic Committee says it has “grave concerns”.

The highly controversial selection of Van de Velde at the Games, which is meant to uphold the highest of values, has seen Olympic bosses duck for cover.

Steven Van de Velde will be muzzled from speaking across the Games.

At the opening press conference at the Paris Olympics, the IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the IOC had put in place its own safeguarding, but batted the issue back to the Dutch officials: “I would refer you in this case, it’s the National Olympic Committee which chooses an athlete. They have put out a statement, they’ve made it very clear there’s a lot of safeguarding going on, special extra safeguarding.

“We have our own safeguarding as well. I believe the offence was ten years ago, which is not to excuse it in any way whatsoever, but there is some pretty heavy duty safeguarding going on. I also believe that the athlete is not staying in the village.”

Later in the same press conference justifying that more than 100 athletes previously serving a ban for taking drugs, Mr Adams said having served their time the athletes have the right to compete.

The Dutch national Olympic Committee said it ratified the selection of Van De Velde because Van de Velde, now married with a young child, continues to offer himself up for assessment and has passed all probationary and psychological checks imposed by the Dutch Volleyball Federation (NeVoBo) and the Netherlands Olympic Committee.

Originally published as Criticism of Olympic officials decision to allow convicted rapist to compete in Paris continues