Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who served a sentence for raping a minor, will compete at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Sport recalls the scandalous story and tells how the athlete, who was released from prison, was allowed to participate in a sporting event of such a scale.
Who is he?
- Van de Velde is the Dutch U20 Champion;
- Five-time national champion;
- Participant in the first European Games in Baku, World and European Championships, as well as FIVB world tours.
As for his personal life, Steven is currently married to beach volleyball player Kim Behrens, whose brother Kevin is a football player for the German Wolfsburg (he played one match for the German national team).
Seduction of a 12-year-old British girlThe scandal erupted in 2016, when the athlete was accused of raping a girl. It was revealed in court that in 2014, the athlete met a 12-year-old teenager on the Internet, after which he went from Amsterdam to the UK, where he seduced the child twice. It is noted that the 19-year-old athlete knew perfectly well about the age of the victim, but this did not become an obstacle for him. By the way, according to a relatively recent survey, more than 75% of children aged 10 to 12 in the UK have accounts on social networks, even if they are not yet 13 (the age from which registration is allowed).
Van de Velde returned to his homeland after having sex with the girl, but was extradited and arrested in January 2015. Although lawyers tried to defend the athlete's position, British laws are much stricter than Dutch ones: any sexual contact with a minor, regardless of consent, is considered rape. After a high-profile hearing, the volleyball player was sentenced to four years in prison. However, he was released much earlier: he served a small part of his sentence in England, and another 12 months in the Netherlands.
Second chance from the IOC trial eight years flew by. Van de Velde returned to sports… And successfully passed the qualification for the Olympic Games. The local federation did not put an end to Steven's career, so van de Velde and his partner Matthew Immers became one of two men's teams from the Netherlands that qualified for the Games in Paris.
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«I understand that on the eve of the biggest sporting event in the world this could attract the attention of the international media. I cannot change this, so I will have to bear the consequences. This was the biggest mistake of my life,» van de Velde was quoted as saying by the official website of the Dutch Volleyball Federation.
Due to the increased attention to his past, van de Velde voluntarily moved into alternative housing away from the rest of the athletes. The Dutchman also indicated that he would not communicate with the press during his stay at the Olympics.
Meanwhile, the IOC continues to monitor the «criminal athlete».
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"The Netherlands chose this athlete and already made a statement about it. His behavior is being closely monitored. We also have our own security services. As far as I know, the crime took place about ten years ago, which, of course, does not justify the athlete in any way. Also, as far as I know, this athlete does not live in the Olympic Village,» assured IOC Communications Director Mark Adams at a press conference.
* * *The day before, IOC President Thomas Bach said he had no personal position on allowing an athlete who had served time to participate in the Olympics.
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