Dutch volleyball participant Steven van de Velde on Paris Olympics crew 8 years after little one rape conviction

The Hague, Netherlands — A Dutch seashore volleyball participant convicted and imprisoned eight years in the past for raping an underage woman in Britain has certified for the Paris Olympics. Steven van de Velde and companion Matthew Immers have been considered one of two males’s groups from the Netherlands that certified for the seashore volleyball competitors on the Paris Games, which open on July 26 within the French capital.

Most seashore pairs qualify for the 24-team Olympic subject by incomes factors on the worldwide tour; Van de Velde and Immers have been eleventh on the factors listing.

“I perceive that within the run-up to the largest sporting occasion on the planet, this will appeal to the eye of worldwide media,” Van de Velde stated in an announcement posted on the web site of the Netherlands Volleyball Federation. “I can not reverse it, so I must bear the implications. It has been the largest mistake of my life.”

Van de Velde was sentenced to 4 years in jail in Britain after being convicted in 2016 of raping a 12-year-old woman he bought to know on Facebook, in accordance with CBS News’ companion community BBC News. He was transferred again to the Netherlands beneath a treaty between the nations and allowed to serve his sentence there, however was launched after 12 months.

The BBC stated that after speaking with the woman on-line, Van de Velde traveled from Amsterdam to England to satisfy her in 2014. He was convicted of three counts of raping a minor two years later, and was positioned on a everlasting intercourse offenders registry within the U.Okay.

“After his launch, Van de Velde sought and obtained skilled counseling. He has demonstrated to these round him — privately and professionally — self-insight and reflection,” the federation stated.

It added that each the federation and the Netherlands Olympic Committee “depend on the opinions of consultants who think about the possibility of recidivism nil.”

The Dutch Olympic committee stated Van de Velde, now 29, met the circumstances required to return after a conviction and resumed his profession in 2017 “after an intensive professionally supervised course of.”

“Van de Velde now meets all of the qualification necessities for the Olympic Games and is due to this fact a part of the crew,” the committee stated.

The worldwide volleyball federation stated it “acknowledges that it is a extremely delicate matter” however stated crew choice is the accountability of the nationwide Olympic committee “whereas respecting the eligibility standards.”