Steven van de Velde: Dutch Olympian and convicted rapist cries in first interview since Paris 2024

Steven van de Velde, the Dutch Olympic beach volleyball player with a rape conviction, has given his first interview since the Olympic Games, where he was seen crying and trying to blame fans and the media for his bad treatment.

Van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old in Britain after flying from his home nation of the Netherlands, told the Dutch national broadcaster, “I don't want that. I'm not going to give others the power to decide they can bully me away or get rid of me,” with the Dutchman ultimately deciding to play at the Games.

The volleyballer also claimed how crowds at the Games reacted “goes too far,” and that it could have even affected how he and his playing partner Matthew Immers performed.

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Van de Velde did admit, “Do you want someone with a history? [to compete at the Olympics] Can he stand on the podium? That is a legitimate question to ask,” but then added, “I'm not the person I was 10 years ago,” which is a statement we can only hope is true.

Van de Velde, was left in tears after he and his partner were knocked out by the Brazilian pair of Evandro and Arthur in the round of 16, per The Mirror.

The Dutch player has faced a brutal reaction from crowds throughout his time at the Olympics with the Dutchman, “subjected to a steady stream of hoots and whistles each time he served the ball,” per Jimmy Golen for The Independent.

Throughout the beach volleyball tournament, Van de Velde has faced a torrent of boos and jeers whenever he was introduced or seen near the ball. Let's take a look at how the crowd received the convicted rapist.

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Jimmy Golen wrote, “the hooting was louder for the more formal prematch introduction. Immers — and all the other players appearing on the sand so far in the Summer Games — received nothing but cheers,” for AP News, showing the targeted nature of the crowd's booing.

Van de Velde was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in England, having traveled from his home country to meet her.

Despite being sentenced to four years behind bars, Van de Velde served only 13 months in prison, per Jimmy Golen for AP News.

Following his team's loss to Italy, van de Velde did not join teammate Matthew Immers during their post-match media session, breaking IOC convention.

Van de Velde's teammate told reporters, “He's not here because he just wanted to rest his mind about it and just focus on the game,” per AP News.

For obvious reasons, Van de Velde's inclusion in the Dutch team has sparked controversy, with some accusing the Netherlands of protecting a child rapist following their decision to separate him from other athletes in the village.

John van Vliet, a spokesperson for the Dutch Olympic team told reporters, “We are protecting a convicted child rapist to do his sport as best as possible and for a tournament which he has qualified for… In his case, we've got a person who has been convicted, who did his sentence, who did everything afterwards which he can do to be able to compete again,” per AP News.

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Other countries have been vocal in their criticism of the Dutch decision to allow van de Velde to compete, with Australian head of delegation Anna Meares saying, “If an athlete or a staff member had that conviction, they wouldn't be allowed to be a member of our team.”

Following Italy's victory over the Dutch, Adrian Carambula, one of the Italian competitors, refused to comment directly on Van de Velde's criminal history, but did tell reporters, “We got the crowd in our favor, and we wanted the victory, so that was “the key.”

Van de Velde was reportedly met with even louder boos in the Dutch's second match at the 2024 Olympics, per 1News. The Netherlands proved too strong for their opponents, Chile, but the crowd made their feelings heard.