Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016, said he considered withdrawing from the Paris Olympics due to the controversy surrounding his participation.
Van de Velde and his beach volleyball partner Matthew Imus reached the quarter-finals in Paris but lost to Brazil in straight sets. The pair played four games in the tournament, with Vandevelde being met with a barrage of boos and whistles.
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Asked in an interview with Dutch national broadcaster NOS whether he had considered quitting, van der Velde said he had considered it before and during the Olympics but ultimately decided to compete. “I thought: ‘I don’t want that. I’m not going to give other people the power to decide that they can bully me or get rid of me,” he said in Dutch. Van de Velde did not speak to reporters during the Olympics.
He served 13 months in prison after being convicted of rape in England in 2016. Despite calls from victims’ advocates, lawmakers and fans to ban him from the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said it was powerless to prevent the Netherlands from sending an athlete who qualified in the usual way.
Before the Olympics, Van de Velde said of his past in a statement posted on the Dutch Volleyball Federation website: “I can’t reverse it, so I have to live with the consequences. It was the biggest mistake of my life.
He and Imos had a 1-2 record in pool play, but lost to Brazil in Paris. Van de Velde said his and Eames’ performances may have been affected by the crowd’s reaction.
“It’s certainly possible that it had an impact on our game,” he told NOS. “If I think about how much I focused on peripheral issues – how I wanted to perform on the field as opposed to the opponent’s tactics – then you could say that had an impact, but there’s no need to look past Buck.”
Vandevelde said he understands the controversy. “Do you want a guy with a history? Can he get on the podium? That’s a legitimate question,” he said. But van de Velde, now married with a young son, added: “I’m not the same person I was ten years ago.”
He paid tribute to his family and friends, as well as the Dutch volleyball and Olympic authorities for their support. While he was jeered in Paris, Dutch fans in orange gave him their support. “I can’t change people’s perception of me,” he said. “Someone can hold me accountable for what happened and that’s okay because that’s the way it is. That’s their right. So, I accept that.
