Controversy Surrounding Dutch Beach Volleyball Player Convicted of Rape

The Controversy Surrounding Dutch Beach Volleyball Player Convicted of Rape

The Dutch Volleyball Association and Dutch Olympic organizers are facing criticism for their decision to send Steven van de Velde, a man convicted of rape, to represent the Netherlands in beach volleyball at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

In 2014, van de Velde, now 29, committed a heinous crime by raping a 12-year-old girl he met on Facebook during his trip to England. Subsequently, he was sentenced to four years in prison by a British court in 2016. However, after serving just over a year, he was transferred to the Netherlands, where his sentence was adjusted under Dutch law.

Despite his criminal past, van de Velde received professional counseling after his release from prison and resumed his beach volleyball career in 2017.

The Dutch Olympic Committee and the Dutch Volleyball Association defended their decision by stating that experts have assessed the risk of a repeat offense by van de Velde as very low. This assessment led to their approval of his participation in the Olympics.

While the international media has expressed outrage over van de Velde’s inclusion in the Olympic team, the story did not receive significant attention in the Netherlands. Dutch news outlets mainly focused on how the international media covered the case.

Sara Alaoui, the founder of the Safe Space Club, expressed surprise at the lack of local attention given to this controversy, especially when compared to less significant sports news that garnered more coverage in Dutch media.