Steven van de Velde, the Dutch beach volleyball player who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British child in 2016, has claimed he pondered withdrawing from the Paris Olympics due to the controversy surrounding his participation.
Van de Velde and his beach volleyball partner Matthew Immers advanced to the quarterfinals in Paris before losing to Brazil in straight sets. The couple played four matches in the competition, and Van de Velde was met with boos and whistles.
In an interview with Dutch national television NOS, Van de Velde admitted that he pondered withdrawing before and during the Olympics, but finally opted to compete. “I thought, ‘I don’t want that.'” “I’m not going to give others the authority to decide whether they can bully me away or get rid of me,” he stated in Dutch. During the Olympics, Van de Velde declined to speak with media.
After being convicted of rape in England in 2016, he served 13 months in prison. Although victim advocates, MPs, and fans demanded that he be barred from competing in the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee stated it could not prevent the Netherlands from sending an athlete who qualified in the customary manner.
In a statement released on the Dutch Volleyball Federation’s website before the Olympics, Van de Velde said of his past: “I cannot reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences.” “It was the biggest mistake of my life.”
He and Immers finished 1-2 in pool play before falling to the Brazilians in Paris. According to Van de Velde, the crowd’s responses may have influenced his and Immers’ performances.
“There is certainly a very good chance that it has had an influence on our game,” he told the news station. “When I think about how much I was focused on peripheral concerns – with how I want to be on the pitch rather than with tactics against the opponent
– then you may say that had an impact, but there is no use in passing the blame.” Van de Velde stated that he understood the contention. “Do you want someone with a history? Can he stand at the podium? “That is a legitimate question,” he stated. However, Van de Velde, who is now married and has a young boy, added, “I’m not the person I was 10 years ago.”
He expressed gratitude to family and friends, as well as Dutch volleyball and Olympic officials, for their support. While he encountered jeers in Paris, orange-clad fans from the Netherlands showed him their support. “I can’t change what people think of me,” he told me. “Someone can hold me responsible forever for what occurred.
And that’s fine because that’s what it is. It’s their right. So, I accept it.”
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