Netherlands rapist of girl, 12, to compete at 2024 Paris Olympics

The Netherlands Olympic Committee will approve for the Paris Olympics the participation of a Dutch beach volleyball star who raped a 12-year-old girl, creating a major moral issue,

Dutch beach volleyballer Steven van de Velde. Picture: Getty Images

The Netherlands Olympic Committee says it will approve the participation of convicted child rapist and beach volleyballer Steven Van de Velde for the Paris Olympic Games.

Van de Velde, who admitted three counts of sexual assault of a 12 year old British girl, when he was 19, has passed the final selection hurdle and is set to compete under the Eiffel Tower at the Olympics following the approval of the Dutch committee, known as the NOC.

The International Olympic Committee says the responsibility for selections lies with the national olympic committees and that it will not intervene.

However the approval by the Netherlands has attracted condemnation from the British Olympic Committee, which said it has “grave” concerns.

Similar to the code of conduct rules Australian athletes have to abide by, Team GB has disqualifying rules around safeguarding and bringing the organisation into disrepute.

Van de Velde, now married and a father of a two year old child, said on Wednesday:“I understand that this could attract the attention of international media in the run-up to the biggest sporting event in the world.’’

The NOC has argued that Van de Velde has undergone “an intensive, professionally supervised trajectory’’ of assessments and counselling since 2018 well before he was allowed back to participate in international beach volleyball tournaments.

The statement said that Van de Velde had “met all qualification criteria for the Olympic Games” and added that he would be included in the group of Dutch athletes who will come under the auspices of the Olympic committee from July 4.

The Australian has been told that Van de Velde 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.

A person close to the volleyballer said: “he knows he committed a big, big mistake but he has tried to satisfy every requirement to resurrect his dream of having an elite sports career. He knows this black period will be brought up every time he competes especially at the Olympics and he is prepared for the criticism.’’

On Monday The Australian had exclusively revealed that Van de Velde had qualified for the Olympic Games as one of two Dutch beach volleyball teams despite being convicted of child rape in March 2016.

He was sentenced to four years jail after admitting three counts of rape against the child he had met on Facebook knowing she was 12 years old.

Judge Francis Sheridan told him: “Prior to coming to this country you were training as a potential Olympian. Your hopes of representing your country now lie as a shattered dream.”

Van de Velde’s defence lawyer Linda Strudwick, said of the verdict: “The headlines say it all: ‘A sex monster’. It’s plainly a career end for him.”

However that has proven not to be the case. While Van de Velde has certain conditions imposed on his sports participation, such as not being able to hold sports clinics or coaching for minors, he has been able to play and claw his way into the top rankings of the sport.

In 2018 after being released from jail Van de Velde gave an interview to Dutch broadcaster NOS saying “I made that choice in my life when I wasn’t ready, I was a teenager still figuring things out. I was sort of lost and now I have so much more life experience, aside from just being incarcerated. “ He reflected that he should have sought help.

“Any form of help would have been very very helpful, maybe that’s what I would have told myself, seek help.”

The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf claimed this week that “foreign media” are applying pressure on the Olympic participation of the Dutch volleyballer adding that the sex between the two was consensual.

Under British law a 12 year old cannot give consent, while in the Netherlands the same situation would have been classed as “fornication” and the offence considered milder.

“Can Van de Velde, who was convicted long ago in Great Britain for having sex

with a 12-year-old girl, participate in the Olympic Games?” the newspaper questioned.

“In the Netherlands, the responsible authorities think so, because the now 29-

year-old sportsman has served his sentence and qualified for Paris.”

Rising star

Van de Velde was a rising star for The Netherlands in beach volleyball at the time of the offence.

In announcing the four-year sentence in early 2016, judge Francis Sheridan said Van de Velde’s chances of appearing at the Olympics were a “shattered dream” and that he had a “dark side”.

However, since his release, Van de Velde has rocketed up the sport’s ranks.

Recently he joined up with a new partner, Matthew Immers, and they are the second ranked Dutch team for the Olympics. They secured one of their country’s two men’s spots at Paris 2024 and are ranked 11th on the overall rankings heading into the Games.

The International Olympic Committee has been accused of pursuing “woke” ideals by supporting trans athletes in female categories, which has offended many women athletes.

Privately, some are furious the IOC is obsessed with “flying the flag” on certain issues but hasn’t taken a hardline on Van de Velde, who despite being a rapist of a minor could have the honour of competing in Paris and use the post nominal letters OLY.

He will also have access to the Olympic village, where 10,000 athletes will be accommodated.

Currently, the onus is on the respective national organising committees to veto which athletes with a criminal history – including rape convictions – can represent their country.

In Australia, athletes have to sign a code of conduct detailing any criminal history.

All Paris Olympians have to sign an Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities Declaration to promote human rights, peace and clean sport.

Point seven says athletes should “Act as a role model”.

The Dutch Olympic committee would not comment as The Netherlands volleyball association has not yet submitted its final selections. Other Dutch sources say Van de Velde has “served his time” and to restrict his professional sporting career could invite legal scrutiny.

In court, it was detailed how in 2014 Van de Velde met his victim on Facebook and began chatting via Snapchat and Skype.

Aylesbury Crown Court was told Van de Velde travelled from The Netherlands to Milton Keynes outside of London in Aug­ust 2014 to meet his victim.

He knew of her young age.

Van de Velde pleaded guilty to the three counts of rape against the child, who was named in court as Miss A.

The court heard he was aware of the girl’s age and went to her home when her mother was out and had sex with her, taking her virginity.

During the trial, it was reported Van de Velde wept as he heard that his victim had since self-harmed and taken an overdose. Upon his release, Van de Velde ­defended his actions, saying he was “not a sex monster” for raping the girl.

“I do want to correct all the nonsense which has been written about me when I was locked up,” Van de Velde said.

“I did not read anything of it, on purpose, but I understand that it was quite bad, that I have been branded as a sex monster, as a pedophile.

“That I am not, really not. Everyone can have an opinion about me, but it is only fair if they also know my side of the story.”