Published 2024-08-13 16.20
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He was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl – but then received special treatment during the Olympics.
Now Steven van de Velde breaks the silence in an interview where he bursts into tears.
– I might come to the conclusion that “no, it’s not worth it”, he says about the future.
- Steven van de Velde was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl and sentenced to four years in prison.
- Now, ten years after the incident, the beach volleyball player has been allowed to participate in the Olympics and has been given permission to snub the media.
- Now he breaks the silence about the verdict and the turmoil surrounding his Olympic participation.
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He participated in the Olympics in high profile form and his past made headlines.
Among other things, Steven van de Velde’s participation in Paris was condemned by the Swedish duo Jonatan Hellvig and David Åhman’s coach Rasmus Jönsson.
This is as a result of the rape sentence he received in 2014 after, as a 19-year-old, he assaulted a 12-year-old girl. He was then sentenced to a four-year prison sentence.
– Rape is abhorrent. Then we are not lawyers and do not decide who is allowed to play and who is not. We cannot influence anything, he told Sportbladet during the championship.
van de Velde: “Will affect me”
During the Olympics, he snubbed the media after being granted a dispensation even though the participants are expected to face the press during the competitions.
Now, however, he has broken the silence.
– I must be held responsible for what happened. It’s okay for people to see it that way. But I can only focus on what I can influence going forward. I know it will affect me for the rest of my life and I have to accept that, because I made a mistake, he says NOS.
Once at the Olympics, he teamed up with Matthew Immers to the round of 16. Meanwhile, he also sometimes doubted himself and his right to actually participate.
– It’s boring. It’s been ten years and I’ve played over a hundred tournaments. But I understand that it is a big question: Should someone with such a past stand on a podium? It is a valid question.
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full screen Steven van de Velde. Photo: Jon Olav Nesvold / Bildbyrån
“To hurt them is to go too far”
He simply wonders if he will appear on the international stage again, partly for the sake of his family, with the upheaval recently.
– It was a tough experience and I haven’t had time to fully process it. It may be that I come to the conclusion that “no, it’s not worth it”. It is also special for my family and I have to consider them. But to harm them, like Matthew, my wife and my child, is going too far, says van de Velde.
The 30-year-old Dutchman’s lawyer stated after his prison sentence that his “career is over”, but in recent years he has competed for his country despite that.
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full screen van de Velde during the Olympics in Paris. Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/AP
