Volleyball player convicted of rape during the Olympics

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, June 26 – A beach volleyball player jailed for raping a 12-year-old British girl will represent the Netherlands at the Paris Olympics.

Steven van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three times to raping a child, which took place in August 2014.

Van de Velde, who met his victim on Facebook, traveled from Amsterdam to Britain and raped the girl at an address in Milton Keynes.

He was allowed to serve his sentence in the Netherlands, but was released after just twelve months.

Van de Velde then resumed his volleyball career and has been participating in international tournaments since 2018 “after an intensive, professionally supervised process”, according to the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC).

He has qualified for the Olympic Games in his national pair with partner Matthew Immers.

The Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) told BBC Sport: “After his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional guidance. He demonstrated to those around him – privately and professionally – self-insight and reflection.”

The NOC said Van de Velde’s return to the sport met the guidelines of the Dutch Volleyball Federation (NeVoBo) in the organization’s “Integrity Record Guidelines”, which set out the conditions under which athletes can resume competition after a conviction.

It says he has met “all qualifying criteria for the Olympic Games.”

In interviews with Dutch media, Van de Velde previously said: “I cannot reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”

In a statement from the NOC, Van de Velde says: “In 2016 and afterwards, several Dutch media also paid attention to the story. I understand that this could attract the attention of international media in the run-up to the biggest sporting event in the world.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Dutch Volleyball Federation and the International Volleyball Federation have been contacted for comment.