Rapist Steven van de Velde takes part in the Olympic Games in Paris.

Just one month before the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the event is already embroiled in considerable controversy.

In addition to Parisians protesting the event by shitting in the Seine, it has now come to light that Dutch Olympic officials have allowed volleyball player Steven van de Velde to compete this year.

The decision does not sound controversial until one learns that van de Velde was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British schoolgirl in 2016. The incident was described as a “planned, calculated” attack.

Warning: Your period doesn’t care if it’s the Olympics. The article continues below.

The athlete, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison for this crime, but was released after a year. Despite widespread criticism, he was selected to represent the Netherlands at the Olympic Games.

“We know Steven’s story,” Michel Everaert, general director of the Dutch volleyball association Nevobo, said in a statement.

“He was convicted under English law at the time and has served his sentence. Since then, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who has now fully reintegrated into the Dutch volleyball community.”

The association reiterated its decision, saying van de Velde had “proven himself to be an exemplary professional and human being and there has been no reason to doubt him since his return.”

What crime did Steven van de Velde commit?

Ten years ago, van de Velde met a 12-year-old British girl on Facebook. Although he knew her age, the volleyball player travelled from Amsterdam to the UK and raped her in a house in Milton Keynes, according to the Citizens of Milton Keynes.

The publication reports that due to her young age, the authorities were only alerted when she went to pick up the morning-after pill at van de Velde’s request.

The crime was considered so serious and horrific that when the judge handed down the verdict, he told van de Velde that his Olympic dreams had been “shattered” by the conviction.

During the hearing, van de Velde was told that his victim had self-harmed and overdosed after the rape.

However, it increasingly seems as if van de Velde has been given a kind of free pass, as the Dutch Volleyball Association has promised him its “full support”.

After his conviction in March 2016, van de Velde served part of his sentence in England before being transferred to the Netherlands.

He was released and resumed his playing career in 2017, just one year later.

Van de Velde himself made a statement ahead of the Games, saying: “I understand that this may attract international media attention ahead of the biggest sporting event in the world.”

“Because of the second chance I was given by my parents, my friends, acquaintances and colleagues, who took me back in after the biggest mistake of my then young life,” he said.

But it is not the first time he has addressed the issue. In 2018, van de Velde told national broadcaster NOS: “I did what I did. I can’t take it back, so I’ll have to face the consequences. You can of course judge.”

After his release in 2017, van de Velde did not always regret his actions. He protested against being called a “sex monster, a paedophile” and dismissed comments about his crime as “nonsense,” as reported The Telegraph.

The decision has rightly sparked great outrage, as victims of sexual assault feel deeply betrayed and rejected.

“The fact that van de Velde is allowed to continue his career after admitting ‘the biggest mistake of his life’ is further confirmation of the shocking tolerance we have for child sexual abuse,” said The Survivors Trust. Sky News in a statement.

“The rape of a child was planned, calculated, involved international travel and will undoubtedly leave its victim with lifelong trauma and irrevocably change the course of her life.”

“As a society, we must begin to adopt a zero-tolerance attitude towards this heinous and costly crime.

“His lack of remorse and empathy for his victim is appalling and the fact that his colleagues and the Olympic Committee are allowed to present him to a young audience as an athlete to look up to is deeply disturbing.”

Van de Velde is scheduled to compete alongside his volleyball partner Matthew Immers as part of one of the two Dutch men’s beach volleyball teams next month.

Who is Steven van de Velde’s wife?

Given the intensive observation of his professional career, curiosity naturally turns to van de Velde’s private life.

Steven is married to Kim van de Velde, a professional German volleyball player who also works as a police officer. Together they have a son.

Steven frequently appears on Kim’s social media and the couple has been together for six years. However, due to negative comments, Kim has restricted comments on posts featuring Steven.

Cover photo: Getty.