Convicted of child rape - will not live in the Olympic Village

The 29-year-old Dutch Olympic beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde was convicted in 2016 for three counts of rape of a 12-year-old girl. It is now announced that van de Velde will not live in the Olympic Village in Paris with the other active athletes and he will not be allowed to speak to journalists.

» Updated: October 04 2024

» Published: July 22 2024

Convicted of child rape - will not live in the Olympic Village
Photo: Florian Schroetter/AP/TT

The 29-year-old Dutch Olympic beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde was convicted in 2016 for three counts of raping a 12-year-old girl.

It has now been announced that van de Velde will not live in the Olympic Village in Paris with the other athletes and will not be allowed to speak to journalists.

According to the German newspaper Bild, it was the player himself who requested not to live in the Olympic Village. His teammate Matthew Immers will, however, live with the other athletes.

The decision not to allow van de Velde to live in the Olympic Village or speak to the media was made by the Dutch Olympic Committee to "create calm".

It was in 2014 that the then 19-year-old Steven van de Velde came into contact with the 12-year-old girl on Facebook, according to The Telegraph. He flew to the UK to meet the girl and confessed to three counts of rape in 2016. The Dutchman was sentenced to four years in prison for child rape.

I can't undo what's been done, so I have to take the consequences. It's the biggest mistake of my life, he said in an interview with the Dutch TV channel NOS in 2018.

After a short time in prison in the UK, van de Velde served his sentence in his home country, but was released in 2017 as his sentence was adjusted according to Dutch law. The same year, he resumed his sports career.

The Swedish world top players David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig are medal favorites in Paris and have played matches against the Dutch duo during the spring – most recently in the World Tour tournament in Portugal in May – but in the Olympics, the teams will not be in the same group.

Tags

TTT
By TT - Translated and adapted by Sweden Herald

More news

Swedes Shine in Toronto's 6-2
1 MIN READ

Swedes Shine in Toronto's 6-2 Rout of Ottawa

Lindblad claims LPGA title in
2 MIN READ

Lindblad claims LPGA title in LA, wins $5.4 million prize

Piastri Takes Jeddah Win Ahead
2 MIN READ

Piastri Takes Jeddah Win Ahead of Verstappen

Barcelona Crushes Chelsea 4-1 in
2 MIN READ

Barcelona Crushes Chelsea 4-1 in Champions League Semifinal

Billborn Fumes: "Even in Division
3 MIN READ

Billborn Fumes: "Even in Division 7, That's Unacceptable"

Arsenal Delays Liverpool's Title Celebration
2 MIN READ

Arsenal Delays Liverpool's Title Celebration

Celina's Classy Goal Secures AIK's
2 MIN READ

Celina's Classy Goal Secures AIK's Top Spot in Allsvenskan

Djurgården's Fallenius Out for Spring
1 MIN READ

Djurgården's Fallenius Out for Spring Season with Fracture

Lewandowski Faces Three-Week Layoff, May
1 MIN READ

Lewandowski Faces Three-Week Layoff, May Miss CL Semifinal

Fleury Praises Gustavsson's Cool Composure
3 MIN READ

Fleury Praises Gustavsson's Cool Composure as Minnesota's Top Goalie

Ingrid Lindblad Tied for First
2 MIN READ

Ingrid Lindblad Tied for First in Thrilling LPGA Tournament Battle

Swedish Players Shine in Stanley
1 MIN READ

Swedish Players Shine in Stanley Cup Opener Despite St Louis Loss

Verstappen Secures Pole in Jeddah
1 MIN READ

Verstappen Secures Pole in Jeddah After Norris Crash

Isak Struggles as Newcastle Falls
1 MIN READ

Isak Struggles as Newcastle Falls 4-1 to Aston Villa

Brynäs Edges Luleå in Overtime
2 MIN READ

Brynäs Edges Luleå in Overtime Thriller to Lead Championship Series

Rangers and Anaheim Dismiss Head
1 MIN READ

Rangers and Anaheim Dismiss Head Coaches After Missing Playoffs

Norrköping's Quickfire Goals Secure Crucial
2 MIN READ

Norrköping's Quickfire Goals Secure Crucial Win Over Halmstad

Felicia Schröder Shines as Häcken
2 MIN READ

Felicia Schröder Shines as Häcken Secures Second Consecutive Victory

Lyon Edges Arsenal 2-1, Eyes
2 MIN READ

Lyon Edges Arsenal 2-1, Eyes 12th Champions League Final

Tuva Skoog Shines with Two
1 MIN READ

Tuva Skoog Shines with Two Goals in Malmö FF's 4-1 Victory Over AIK

Sweden Takes Sixth in Ice
1 MIN READ

Sweden Takes Sixth in Ice Hockey World Championship After Close Loss

Marcus Kinhult's Birdie Blitz Propels
1 MIN READ

Marcus Kinhult's Birdie Blitz Propels Him Up 39 Spots in Shanghai

AIK's Christoffer Björk Likely Out
1 MIN READ

AIK's Christoffer Björk Likely Out for Season After Knee Injury

Andreas Johansson Named Head Coach
1 MIN READ

Andreas Johansson Named Head Coach of Södertälje Sports Club

Robots Struggle in First Human
1 MIN READ

Robots Struggle in First Human vs. Machine Half-Marathon in Beijing

Casper Ruud Applauds Victor Hedman's
2 MIN READ

Casper Ruud Applauds Victor Hedman's Leadership in Tampa Bay

Miami Secures Playoff Spot with
1 MIN READ

Miami Secures Playoff Spot with Overtime Win Over Atlanta

Ingrid Lindblad Shines with Career-Best
2 MIN READ

Ingrid Lindblad Shines with Career-Best Round at LPGA in Los Angeles

Gyökeres Hat-Trick Secures Sporting Lisbon's
1 MIN READ

Gyökeres Hat-Trick Secures Sporting Lisbon's Lead Over Moreirense

Elias Pettersson Urged to Improve
2 MIN READ

Elias Pettersson Urged to Improve Training by Canucks Coach Tocchet

Swedish Beach Volleyball Duo Exits
1 MIN READ

Swedish Beach Volleyball Duo Exits World Championship in Brazil

Dallas Stars Face Playoffs Without
1 MIN READ

Dallas Stars Face Playoffs Without Top Scorer Jason Robertson

Ludvig Åberg Struggles to Find
1 MIN READ

Ludvig Åberg Struggles to Find Form at RBC Heritage

Djurgården's Grewe Criticizes AIK Forward
2 MIN READ

Djurgården's Grewe Criticizes AIK Forward for Alleged Spearing Incident

NHL's Forsberg Eager for World
2 MIN READ

NHL's Forsberg Eager for World Championship, But Confirmation Pending

Thoresen's Pep Talk Fuels Djurgården's
3 MIN READ

Thoresen's Pep Talk Fuels Djurgården's Stunning Comeback Victory