Dutch Volleyball Player Steven van de Velde Competing at Paris Olympics Following Prison Sentence for Rape

As athletes from all over the world gather in Paris for the start of the 2024 Olympic Games, there is a dark cloud that hangs over the event due to the controversy of the inclusion of Dutch volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was sentenced to prison for raping a child.

Despite the intense backlash and calls for Van de Velde to be banned from the Games, he will represent the Netherlands as one of the athletes competing this year.

In 2014, Van de Velde, then 19, flew from Amsterdam to London and had sex with a 12-year-old girl he had been talking to online for several months, according to the New York Times. Per the BBC, the volleyball player, who is now 29, “was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three counts of rape.”

However, the Times reported that Van de Velde only served a total of 13 months in prison before he was transferred to the Netherlands and resentenced to a shorter term under Dutch law and released in early 2017.

Now, 10 years later, Van de Velde is set to play his first volleyball match at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, July 28, in a team match against Italy. 

Following the news that Van de Velde would be competing at the Olympics, the Dutch Olympic Committee spoke of how he had changed his life in the years since his imprisonment. 

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In a statement issued to the Times, the Dutch Olympic Committee said, “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.”

“A lot has happened since then. Steven served his sentence and has completed an extensive rehabilitation programme with specialised professionals, including the probation service. Experts have concluded there is no risk of recidivism,” they continued.

However, the positive words from his teammate and the Dutch Olympic Committee were not nearly enough to stop the backlash over his inclusion in the Games. 

In addition to officials from other countries and various sexual violence groups, a Change.org petition was created, calling for the disqualification of “Convicted Child Rapist Steven Van De Velde from the Olympics.”

As of Friday, July 26, the petition has over 89,000 signatures.

Per the Times, Van de Velde is being housed outside of the Olympic Village to avoid increased media scrutiny and questioning.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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