Steven van de Velde, who served jail time for raping a British girl, burst into tears in his first interview since competing at the Olympics. The 30-year-old was selected to play beach volleyball for the Netherlands in a decision which sparked outrage before and during the Games.
Van de Velde was loudly booed and jeered by fans during matches, while the Dutch Olympic Committee took action to protect him from media scrutiny. They ensured he took no part in media interactions during the Games while he also stayed in private accommodation outside the Olympic village.
The beach volleyball player was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year-old girl two years earlier. Police were alerted to the rape after his victim sought the morning after pill at a family planning clinic.
Van de Velde, who served just 12 months of his four-year sentence before he was released, gave his first interview since the Olympics to NOS and broke down in tears while recalling the public backlash he received.
“I definitely had a moment of breaking down, both before the tournament and during it,” he said. “But I thought: ‘I’m not going to give others the power to bully me away or get me away’. It’s certainly not nothing that’s been fired at you. I think it’s a shame. It’s been 10 years.
“I’ve played more than 100 tournaments. I understand that it’s an issue, should someone with such a past be allowed to stand on such a podium? That’s a legitimate question. I did something wrong 10 years ago and I have to accept that.
“Hurting people around me, whether it’s Matthew [Immers, his team-mate], my wife or my child, that just goes too far for me. That’s definitely a moment where I thought: ‘Is this worth it?’. Someone can hold me responsible for what happened forever. That’s okay, someone has the right to do that.
“But I try to focus on what I can influence. I know this will play a role for the rest of my life. I have to accept that, because I made a mistake.”
Immers, meanwhile, was quizzed on Van de Velde’s situation and said during the Games: “He had his punishment and now he’s really kind. For me, that’s a big example that you can grow. What happened in the past, is not good, of course.”
