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Australian Olympics chief Anna Meares has said that a convicted rapist would not be picked for the country’s Olympics team, after Steven van de Velde was named in the Netherlands’ beach volleyball squad.
Van de Velde, now aged 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to three counts of rape against a child when he was 19. He met his 12-year-old victim on Facebook, and travelled from Amsterdam to Milton Keynes, where the incident happened in 2014.
Van de Velde, who was allowed to serve his sentence in the Netherlands, was behind bars for just 12 months of the four years and then resumed his career in volleyball, competing in international tournaments since 2018 and eventually being selected for the Netherlands squad for Paris 2024 in June.
Mears, one of Australia’s most decorated Olympians, said that a rapist would not be selected for the Australian squad.
“If an athlete or staff member had that conviction they would not be allowed to be a member of our team,” Meares said. “We have stringent policies on safeguarding within our team.”
Following his initial selection, the Dutch Olympic Committee told BBC Sport: “After his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional counselling. He demonstrated to those around him - privately and professionally - self-insight and reflection”.
They continued to say that van de Velde’s return met the guidelines set out by the nation’s Volleyball Federation, with the International Olympic Committee reportedly saying that the selection of athletes is the responsibility of individual committees.
The first section of the Olympic Charter, detailing the ‘Fundamental Principles of Olympism’, states: “Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for internationally recognised human rights and universal fundamental ethical principles within the remit of the Olympic Movement”.
