Beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde from the Netherlands has qualified for the Olympic Games. He was convicted of raping a child in 2016 and served time in prison.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde has qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris.
- In 2016, he was convicted and imprisoned for raping a 12-year-old girl
- Van de Velde's comeback poses a moral dilemma for the International Olympic Committee.
Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde has qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris - news that raises not only sporting enthusiasm but also moral questions. This is because van de Velde was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in 2016 and served time in prison.
As the British "Telegraph" reports, the then 19-year-old van de Velde traveled from the Netherlands to the UK in 2014 to meet a girl he had met on Facebook. In March 2016, he was sentenced to four years in prison, but was released after just twelve months. Judge Francis Sheridan described his hopes of representing the Netherlands at the Olympic Games as a "shattered dream" at the sentencing.
Final decision not yet made
Now, eight years later, van de Velde's comeback poses a moral dilemma for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Every Olympic participant must sign a declaration on the rights and duties of athletes, in which they are expressly requested to act as a role model. Van de Velde himself commented on the allegations from his past and said: "I want to set the record straight about all the nonsense that was written about me when I was in prison."
The British child protection charity, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), responded to his comments with harsh criticism. In a statement, it said: "Van de Velde's lack of remorse and self-pity is unbelievable."
The Dutch Olympic Committee has not yet commented on van de Velde's qualification for Paris. The Dutch Volleyball Federation has also yet to confirm its final line-up.
