Dutch volleyball player convicted of raping a 12-year-old surprised by commotion

Dutch volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in the United Kingdom in 2014, said he expected his participation in the Paris Olympics would cause controversy. But he was surprised by the extent of the outrage, Van de Velde told NOS in his first time speaking to the press since the Olympic Games.

A British court sentenced Van de Velde to four years in prison in 2016 for three counts of raping a child in August 2014. The man, then around 19 years old, met the 12-year-old British girl on Facebook and arranged a meetup in the United Kingdom, where he raped her multiple times, BBC reports. He was allowed to serve his sentence in the Netherlands and was released after 12 months in prison.

“I think it’s a shame,” he said about the commotion. “It’s been ten years. I’ve played over a hundred tournaments.” He added: “I understand that it’s an issue. Is someone with such a past allowed to stand on such a podium? That is a legitimate question.”

“I definitely had a moment of rage, both before and during the tournament. But I thought: I’m not going to give others the power to bully me away,” Van de Velde said. “I know that this will play a role for the rest of my life. I have to accept that because I made a mistake.”

He said that he still has to process his experiences in Paris. An online petition calling for the man to be banned from the Olympics received 90,000 signatures before he played his first match. There were audible boos - along with cheers - when he and his volleyball partner, Matthew Immers, were announced for the first match on July 28. They were met with more booing in subsequent matches.

The volleyball association Nevobo told ANP that British tabloids "organized" the booing at the two player's first match and subsequent appearances. According to general director Michel Everaert, people approached the audience and asked them to boo Van de Velde.

“It was an intense experience, one that I haven’t fully processed yet. The conclusion can certainly be: this is not worth it. Certainly also for my family, so I will certainly take their opinion into account.” The impact on his wife and son is more important than the game, he said.