The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is receiving much backlash, as there are many fans and athletes alike who are calling for an investigation into the matters of why a man convicted of child rape has been allowed to take part in the 2024 Olympics.
Steven Van de Velde, a 29-year-old from the Netherlands, qualified for the Olympics (with his volleyball partner Matthew Immers) back in June, and despite the worldwide criticism surrounding his participation, he has been cleared to play in the Paris Games.
According to reports, in 2016 Van de Velde had been convicted of three counts of child rape for an incident that took place in 2014, when the athlete was 19 years old and the victim was 12. Apparently the two talked online for several months, before Van de Velde flew to a small town near London to meet up with the under-aged girl.
"He was caught after he advised his victim to get a morning-after pill. Staff at a family planning clinic alerted the girl's family and the police because of her age," according to TIME.com. To note, since the girl was not of age, it is considered rape under English law and fornication under Dutch law.
Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison, yet only served 13 months before he was sent back to the Netherlands for re-sentencing. That is to say, he was already back competing in international tournaments as early as 2017.
"I made that choice in my life when I wasn't ready," Van de Velde said in a TV interview (NOS) a year after his release. "I was sort of lost and now I have so much more life experience."
"I cannot reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences. It has been the biggest mistake of my life," he said.
There are many who do not think Van de Velde deserves a second chance. According to the New York Post, "A petition calling on the International Olympics Committee to ban known sex offenders from competing has reached nearly 81,000 signatures."
The Dutch volleyball federation (NeVoBo) gave a statement on Van de Velde's participation at the upcoming Olympics.
"We know Steven's history... He was convicted at the time according to English law and he has served his sentence. From then on, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who has now been fully reintegrated into the Dutch volleyball community. He is proving to be an exemplary professional and human being and there has been no reason to doubt him since his return. We fully support him and his participation in Paris, which he and Matthew [Immers] have earned."
Van de Velde and Immers will compete in the first group-stage match vs. Italy, as the men's Olympic beach volleyball tournament starts on Sunday July 28.
Related: Summer Olympics 2024: See The Full Schedule, All Dates And Time, and Paralympic Games
