Olympian who was jailed for raping British girl, 12, barred from media duties in Paris

A Dutch athlete who was previously jailed for raping a 12-year-old girl in the UK has been barred from talking to the media in Paris by his country’s Olympics Committee. Steven van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three counts of rape.

Upon receiving his sentence, the beach volleyball player was told by a judge that his sporting career was a “shattered dream”. However, he is now due to take part in the Olympics in Paris this summer, to the dismay of women’s advocacy groups.

The Dutch Olympic Committee selected Van de Velde as part of their volleyball team for this summer’s Games. However, he will not be able to conduct interviews, according to the Committee's chef de mission Pieter van den Hoogenband.

"He's not going to downplay it (his conviction). We have to respect that and help him as a member of the team to be able to perform," he told Dutch television.

Van de Velde spent part of his sentence in the UK before returning to the Netherlands, where his sentence was adjusted in accordance with the country’s laws. He has been competing in beach volleyball again since 2017 and, alongside Olympics partner Matthew Immers, are ranked 11th in the world.

It comes eight years after a trial heard that Van de Velde flew to the UK aged 19 to meet a schoolgirl in August 2014. They had begun talking on Facebook and the athlete was aware of his victim’s age. Aylesbury Crown Court heard that Van de Velde had sex with the girl.

Van den Hoogenband admitted that the wave of criticism of Van de Velde’s inclusion in the Netherlands’ Olympic team had taken him by surprise, given he has been active in international sport for some time, and claimed that it had been heightened by the media attention around the Games.

He added of the coverage of Van de Velde, who has competed in World Cups and European Championships: "You see that things are different around the Games. They are magnified around the Games.”

Meanwhile, Australian Olympics chief Anna Meares has insisted that an athlete convicted of the same crime as Van de Velde would not be selected by the nation. "If an athlete or staff member had that conviction they would not be allowed to be a member of our team," Meares said at a press conference. "We have stringent policies on safeguarding within our team."

The Dutch Olympic Committee said of Van de Velde’s selection: "After his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional counselling. He demonstrated to those around him - privately and professionally - self-insight and reflection."

According to Dutch outlet NL Times, Van de Velde has been given separate accommodation in Paris. He will not stay at the athletes’ Olympic Village.