A senior official with the Dutch Olympic committee has insisted that a convicted child rapist in its beach volleyball team is not a paedophile, in an email seen by the Guardian.
A concerned British man who has lived in the Netherlands for more than a decade, wrote to the Dutch Olympic committee and called the inclusion of Steven van de Velde in the team “a stain on the Dutch national side”. In a reply the Dutch Olympic committee spokesperson wrote: “Steven is NOT a peadophile [sic]; you really don’t think that de Dutch NOC would send someone to Paris who IS a real risk? No, he isn’t a risk.”
There has been mounting public anger at the presence of the beach volleyball player Van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016. Earlier this week the International Olympic Committee faced calls for an investigation into how a convicted child rapist has been allowed to compete at Paris 2024. The IOC has said the selection of athletes for the Games was the responsibility of individual committees.
There has been mounting public anger at the presence of the beach volleyball player Van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016. Earlier this week the International Olympic Committee faced calls for an investigation into how a convicted child rapist has been allowed to compete at Paris 2024. The IOC has said the selection of athletes for the Games was the responsibility of individual committees.
A reformed person. He served his time and was released because he proved he changed. The corrections system in many countries is ment to “correct” bad behavior not simply punish it.
This is a fair point I am willing to entertain. But does he need to be on the olympic team? he can go on with his life and practice his beloved sport, but representing his country is a privilege he probably should have lost.
Why should he have lost that?
I think that part might just give you a clue.
For one, the victims are still traumatized, that’s how we learned of this story
The fuck are you talking about? He served a year in the UK for raping a 12-year-old multiple times, then got sent back the the Netherlands via a treaty, they didn’t imprison him, and he called it a lot of nonsense.
Yeah, people are all fro prison reform and advocate rehabilitation over punishment until it’s a crime they have an emotional response to.