Convicted Child Rapist Banned From Paris Olympics Athletes’ Village Amid Outcry Over Him Being Allowed to Compete
Dutch volleyball player Steven van de Velde was banned from the Olympic Village.
Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde has been allowed to attend the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics despite his previous conviction for raping a minor but is banned from the athletes’ village for the event, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde was convicted of raping a minor.
Van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old girl he met online when he was 19. Despite being released in 2017, the repercussions of his actions continue to haunt him as he competes on the world stage.
Safety concerns have escalated as Van de Velde qualified to represent the Netherlands at the Olympics,
In response, following the Dutch Olympic Committee's directives, he will not reside in the Olympic Village and abstain from media interactions.
The Olympic beach volleyball field located in front of the Eifel Tower.
Pieter van den Hoogenband from the Dutch Olympic Committee said: "The changes to Van de Velde’s accommodations were necessary ... We have to respect that and help him as a member of the team to be able to perform."
The decision to allow Van de Velde to compete in the games has stirred public outrage, with human rights groups expressing their discontent.
A petition urging the International Olympic Committee to ban known sex offenders from participating has gained significant traction, amassing close to 81,000 signatures.
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As Steven van de Velde qualified to represent the Netherlands at the Olympics, safety concerns have escalated.
Van de Velde’s name is reportedly still on the U.K.’s sex offenders registry as of July 25.
In the wake of the sexual encounter in 2014, Van de Velde advised the girl, whose identity has not been made public, to get a morning-after pill.
A warrant was issued for Van de Velde’s arrest after staff at a family planning clinic alerted the girl’s family and the police because of her age.
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In 2016, he pleaded guilty to three counts of raping a child.
Van de Velde told NOS in a TV interview one year after his release: “I made that choice in my life when I wasn’t ready. I was sort of lost and now I have so much more life experience.”
According to the New York Post, Van de Velde will pair with 23-year-old Matthew Immers in their first group-stage match in Paris on Sunday against Italy.