AMSTERDAM: The Dutch Olympic committee is taking measures to mitigate the impact of including a convicted rapist on their squad, a move that has sparked dismay among some women’s advocacy groups, its chef de mission said on Sunday.

Steven van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in Britain in 2016 following the rape of a 12-year-old girl two years earlier when he was 19.

After serving part of his sentence there, he was transferred to the Netherlands and his sentence was adjusted to the norms of Dutch law. Van de Velde has been competing in beach volleyball again since 2017 and was named last month in the Dutch Olympic team.

The Dutch Olympic committee, in consultation with van de Velde and playing partner Matthew Immers, have taken steps to mitigate the impact of his participation by moving him to alternative accommodation in Paris and putting a ban on him talking to the media, chef de mission Pieter van den Hoogenband told Dutch television on Sunday.

“He’s not going to downplay it [his conviction]. We have to respect that and help him as a member of the team to be able to perform,” he said.

Van den Hoogenband said van de Velde was attempting to keep himself focused on his start at the Games, where he and Immers will be up against Italian opposition next Sunday. Kate Seary, co-founder and director of Kyniska Advocacy, which works for the protection and respect of women in sports, said: “His participation sends a message to everyone that sporting prowess trumps crime.”

Van den Hoogenband said the wave of criticism had taken him by surprise, given van de Velde had been active in international sport for some time, including playing in world cups and European championships. “You see that things are different around the Games. They are magnified around the Games,” Van den Hoogenband said.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2024