British Olympic chief slams decision to allow Dutch rapist to compete

Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde was convicted of three counts of rape against a 12-year-old girl from Milton Keynes and sentenced to four years in prison in 2016.

But the 29-year-old has been selected to represent the Netherlands and will play his first match on Sunday morning.

However, his own national committee have taken extra measures to keep him away from the Olympic village.

Team GB’s chief executive Andy Anson was among those who made sure Van de Velde would not be allowed to stay there alongside other athletes.

He’s revealed that British reps had contacted both the International Olympic Committee and Dutch chiefs to ‘make their displeasure known’ about Van de Velde’s inclusion.

‘I can’t ever foresee a way where someone with that kind of criminal record would be able to pass the safeguarding test and be selected,’ he told The Times.

‘We have young 15-year-olds in the village and I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable having someone with that kind of record in the village with them.

‘So I think the Dutch finally saw sense and took him out of the village, which was the least I think that could happen.’

It had also already been previously decided that Van de Velde will not take part in any media duties after matches and only his teammate Matthew Immers, 23, will speak to the press.

He was sent back to the Netherlands to serve his sentence but was released after just one year behind bars and able to resume his career.

Judge Francis Sheridan told Van de Velde in court: ‘Your hopes of representing your country now lie as a shattered dream.’

But the Dutch volleyball association Nevobo have backed Van de Velde and said there was ‘no reason’ to exclude him from the team.

Michel Everaert, general director at Nevobo, said: ‘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.’

Pieter van den Hoogenband, a former Olympic champion swimmer, said he has been ‘surprised by the fuss’ surrounding his selection.

He said: ‘He has been active in international sport, the beach volleyball world, for some time. He has played World Cups, European Championships and World Cups, but then you see that things are different around the Games. That things are exaggerated.’

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