“We know Steven’s history,” the Dutch Volleyball Federation said.

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Amid the excitement surrounding the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, there has been controversy regarding the decision to allow Dutch volleyball player Steven van de Velde to participate despite his criminal history.

More specifically, Van de Velde was convicted of rape.

So what exactly happened with Van de Velde’s case, and what has been said about his permission to play? Here’s what to know.

Source: Getty Images

The controversy with Steven van de Velde at the Olympics, explained.

In 2016, Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison for raping a 12-year-old girl. Van de Velde was 19 at the time, and had met the young girl on Facebook. He’d flown from Amsterdam to London to meet with her, and returned back to the Netherlands after his encounter with her.

Van de Velde ended up serving only 12 months behind bars, and after his release, he continued on with his volleyball career. In 2024, he was selected for the Dutch Olympic team for the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The Dutch Volleyball Federation (aka Nevobo) posted a statement in support of letting Van de Velde compete.

“We know Steven’s history. Before he expressed his desire to return to beach volleyball at the time, we spoke extensively with him but also with NOC*NSF [the Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation], among others,” said Nevobo general director Michel Everaert.

“He was convicted at the time according to English law and he has served his sentence,” Everaert continued. “From then on, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who has now been fully reintegrated into the Dutch volleyball community. He is proving to be an exemplary professional and human being and there has been no reason to doubt him since his return. We fully support him and his participation in Paris, which he and Matthew have earned.”

The NOC*NSF posted a statement of support as well. “Already since 2017, Steven van de Velde — after an intensive professionally supervised process with, among others, the probation service — is once again participating in international beach volleyball tournaments,” the statement began.

“At the time, the considerations and conditions for return to top-level sports were determined by both Nevobo and NOC*NSF partly on the basis of the Guideline Integrity History of NOC*NSF, which sets out, among other things, the conditions under which athletes in top-level sports can return after a conviction,” it continued. “Van de Velde now meets all the qualification requirements for the Olympic Games and is therefore part of the team.”

Van de Velde told Nevobo he understands the renewed attention on his criminal past, saying, “That’s obvious, but I also understand that this is just part of it. In 2016 and afterwards, several Dutch media also paid attention to the story. I understand that in the run-up to the biggest sporting event in the world, this can attract the attention of international media.”

In 2018, Van de Velde told Dutch media (via Today) that what he did was the “biggest mistake of my life” and that he will have to “bear the consequences.”

“I made that snap decision,” he explained. “And I booked that ticket in the morning and flew out in the afternoon. As you know, things happened. We had sex and I came back the next day.”

Now, he’s told Nevobo that he has a “great sense of gratitude” for his “second chance.”