Sent to prison for raping a child, Dutch beach volleyball player qualifies for the Paris Olympics by representing the Netherlands

A Dutch beach volleyball player who served prison time for raping a child 10 years ago will represent the Netherlands at this year’s Olympics.

Steven van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2014 for raping a 12-year-old girl, according to British media. He was released in 2017.

He has now been selected to represent the Netherlands in beach volleyball at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

“We know Steven’s story,” Michel Everaert, general director of Nevobo – the Dutch Volleyball Federation – said in a statement.

Everaert said the federation spoke at length with the Dutch National Olympic Committee (NOC), the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and van de Velde before his return to the sport.

“He was found guilty at the time under English law and he served his sentence. Since then, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who is now fully reintegrated into the Dutch volleyball community,” Everaert added in the statement.

Van de Velde served part of his sentence in England before being transferred to the Netherlands, where he was released and returned to playing in 2017, according to Nevobo.

In 2018, van de Velde told national broadcaster NOS: “I did what I did. I can’t take it back, so I will have to bear the consequences. You can of course judge. This is the biggest mistake of my life.

“He proves to be an exemplary professional and human being and there is no reason to doubt him since his return,” added Everaert.

The federation noted that van de Velde was aware that this “dark period of his life” would resurface “but is visibly not happy about it.”

In the statement released by Nevobo, van de Velde said he was grateful for the opportunity.

“I understand that with the biggest sporting event in the world approaching, this could attract international media attention,” van de Velde added.

“Thanks to the second chance I had from my parents, my friends, my acquaintances and my colleagues, who accepted me again after the biggest misstep of my young life,” said he declared.

“I am also grateful to the Dutch Volleyball Federation, because they offered me, with clear conditions and agreements, a future in this beautiful sport. But I also think back to the teenager I was, who was unsure of himself, not ready for a life as a top athlete and unhappy inside, because I didn’t know who I was and what I wanted.

Nevobo and the Dutch NOC said in a statement they supported van de Velde, adding that they had consulted, along with the FIVB, experts who considered his risk of recurrence to be “zero”.

“Following his conviction and sentencing, Steven van de Velde gradually returned to the highest level of the sport, under the expert guidance of probation and coaching, among others. He has been participating in international tournaments again since 2017,” Nevobo said in a statement.

The Dutch NOC added that van de Velde returned to professional sport on the basis of its guidelines, “which set out, among other things, the conditions under which athletes in top-level sports can return after a conviction.”

“Van de Velde now meets all the qualification requirements for the Olympic Games and is therefore part of the team,” the committee added.

The International Olympic Committee told CNN that “the nomination of individual team members, following qualification on the field of play, is the sole responsibility of each respective National Olympic Committee.” Therefore, we will contact the Dutch NOC for any further information.

Ju’Riese Colon, CEO of the US Center for SafeSport, said in a statement sent to CNN that the organization was “deeply concerned that anyone convicted of sexual assault of a minor would be able to participate in the Games 2024 Olympic Games.

“As teams from around the world are set to gather in Paris, many of which include underage athletes, it sends a dangerous message that medals and money matter more than their safety. Participation in sport is a privilege and not a right,” she added.

CNN’s Mick Krever contributed reporting.

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