Content warning: The story mentions sexual assault of a minor, sexual grooming and self-harm.
Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde is going to the Olympics for the first time in his career. But his selection to the Netherlands' national team was more than controversial.
Van de Velde is a convicted child rapist and a sex offender who was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016. He ultimately served 13 months in jail before being released in 2017.
At the time, his conviction seemed certain to curtail his future in sport. But the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are allowing him to participate in the 2024 Olympics.
Here's what to know about that decision and the case against Van de Velde.
Steven van de Velde case, explained
Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after he pleaded guilty to three counts of raping a child in the United Kingdom.
Van de Velde's communication with his victim began when she sent him a friend request on social media. The two began chatting on Skype, Facebook and Snapchat and continued to do so every day for months.
Initially, Van de Velde believed the girl was 16 years old, but she eventually told him she was actually 12. Van de Velde was 19 at the time of their correspondence.
Van de Velde didn't break off contact with his victim after learning of her true age. He admitted that he traveled from the Netherlands to England on Aug. 2, 2014, to meet with her. He met her in Milton Keynes — the town where she lived — and raped her several times, "including one instance of vaginal sex during which she complained he was hurting her," per The Athletic.
Van de Velde told his victim to get the morning-after pill before he returned to the Netherlands, as they hadn't used protection. His victim went to a family planning clinic and the staff there alerted her parents of her presence due to her age.
After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Van de Velde was extradited to the United Kingdom on Jan. 8, 2016, and he pleaded guilty to the charges against him. He was sentenced to four years in prison.
During the court case, it was also revealed that Van de Velde's victim felt guilty following his arrest and had been self-harming because of it. That led Judge Francis Sheridan to give Van de Velde a scathing rebuke during the trial.
"The emotional harm that has been caused to this child is enormous," Sheridan said, per The Athletic. "As she matures, she will have to come to realize that you are not the nice man she thought you were and hoped you might be."
Van de Velde served 13 months of his sentence. Twelve of those came in England before he was transferred to the Netherlands for the final month of his sentence, which was reduced given the country's less stringent laws surrounding sexual issues.
Van de Velde gave an interview to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad after his release from jail.
"I have been branded as a sex monster, as a pedophile," he said. "That I am not — really not."
His name remains on the United Kingdom's sex offender registry.
Why Steven van de Velde is competing in the 2024 Olympics
Van de Velde's criminal history will leave many sports fans wondering why the Netherlands is allowing him to represent the country at the Olympics.
The Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) and Dutch Volleyball Federation said Van de Velde's inclusion came "after careful consideration" and that the 29-year-old had "consistently met" the country's standards, per The Athletic.
"We are deeply aware that the renewed publicity about Steven van de Velde is causing a lot of emotion, which we fully understand, as the events at that time were very serious," the NOC statement read. "A lot has happened since then. Steven served his sentence and has completed an extensive rehabilitation program with specialized professionals, including the probation service. Experts have concluded there is no risk of recidivism."
The statement also said that Van de Velde deserved a second chance because he had "grown and positively changed his life."
Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deferred the decision about Van de Velde's selection to the NOC.
"The nomination of individual team members, following qualification on the field of play, is the sole responsibility of each respective National Olympic Committee," an IOC spokesperson said, per Yahoo! Sports.
Fans on hand for Van de Velde's first Olympic match let both Olympic committees know what they thought of his inclusion. He and his teammate Matthew Immers were met with a mixture of boos and applause as they were introduced ahead of their match against Italy's Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula, per the BBC.
Van de Velde and Immers — ranked No. 10 in the world — lost the match 2-1 to Ranghieri and Carambula, who are 25th in the world rankings.
What Paula Radcliffe said about Steven van de Velde
Van de Velde's inclusion on the Netherlands' Olympic roster remains a charged topic. Many have condemned him, but select others have spoken about the NOC granting him a second chance.
Paula Radcliffe — a former long-distance runner turned Olympic commentator — was among those who expressed the latter viewpoint. She also wished the Dutch volleyball player good luck for the 2024 Olympics.
"I know that he is married now and has settled down," Radcliffe said, per the BBC. "I think it's a tough thing to do to punish him twice and if he's managed to successfully turn his life around after being sent to prison, and to qualify and to be playing sport at the highest level, then I actually wish him the best of luck."
Radcliffe was met with backlash for those comments. She later apologized for them, saying she was "mortified" that she "didn't condemn the rape out loud."
"Competing in the Olympic Games is a privilege that should be reserved for those who uphold the Olympic moral ideals," she wrote in a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter). "I absolutely should not have wished him luck and genuinely have no explanation for why I said that."
— Paula Radcliffe (@paulajradcliffe) July 25, 2024
"I do believe in second chances after serving punishment but think the Olympics should be for those who uphold the ideals — that's why I poorly brought the doping comparison in," she added, per the BBC.
"I myself am shocked and disappointed at how I expressed this so badly."
"I am very sorry and should have done much better. I by no means meant to overlook the crime and meant to say those who don't uphold ideals should be excluded but can't be.
"I profoundly apologize and am deeply shocked and disappointed in myself and can't understand how I managed to convey it so badly."
