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July 29, 2024 - 10:30am
When Steven van de Velde stood in court after being found guilty of raping a 12-year-old British girl, the judge told him: “You were training as a potential Olympian. Your hopes of representing your country now lie as a shattered dream.” But after serving just one year of a four-year custodial sentence, he was allowed to return to his training.
Yesterday, a decade after he committed the crimes, van de Velde took his place on the world’s most prestigious sporting stage. When he walked under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower onto the volleyball court he was booed. It seems spectators were at last united — something the “inclusive” opening ceremony’s tableau of drag queens and faded pop stars failed to do. The disapproval of the crowd irked van de Velde’s teammate Matthew Immers, who told reporters: “He had his punishment and now he’s really kind.”
Van de Velde was not expected to defend himself from the international press. Of the thousands of competitors, he alone has been granted a special dispensation excusing him from the responsibility of giving media interviews. John van Vliet, the Dutch team’s press attaché, stepped in for him. He has been quite upfront about his role, admitting: “We are protecting a convicted child rapist.” When asked about the message the player’s selection sent to survivors of sexual abuse, van Vliet responded: “I have no message.”
But whether or not van Vliet has anything to say, van de Velde’s participation does send a powerful sign to the estimated one in four women who have been raped or sexually assaulted, and the estimated one in ten girls who have suffered child sexual abuse. It tells them that they don’t matter. It tells them that their abuser’s future is more important than their own.
The apparently tough moral decision about whether to allow a child rapist to compete was delegated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the Dutch. While this is standard, given the crimes for which he was convicted it is a cowardly shirking of the Committee’s duty.
It is worth bearing in mind the trifles that can ruin the ambitions of Olympic hopefuls. This year, Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata was sent home by her team after she was spotted having a cheeky cigarette. In the previous Games, US track and field athlete Sha’Carri Richardson was barred from competition after she smoked cannabis — hardly a performance-enhancing drug. It seems the Dutch have no such qualms.
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SubscribeYes. Can’t help felling that the problem is down to the the legal system that tried him. In the eyes of the law he has served his sentence and therefore should be free to continue with his life. Of course, to may of us the sentence was far too lenient.
His country can do with him what it wants. That’s on them. But the Olympic Committee is subject to No country and represents the World and the world standards. They are who allowed this atrocity in the Game.
“atrocity” ?
There is, apart from the legal verdict, the disciplinary penalty that can be enforced from the various professional associations or organisations, which can hand-out long term suspensions or lifetime bans.
The fact that there was more outrage for the mistreatment of a horse than the participation of a convicted child rapist speaks volumes to the distorted moral values of the Olympic committee and the press.
Inconsistency abounds. Charlotte Dejudardin must feel more than a bit aggrieved regarding the relative outcomes.
As noted in the article about others doing basically Nothing, certainly not harming others (unless you consider the normal whipping of a horse despite traditional and modern gear literally made to do that for their training) and getting kicked off Olympic teams, Shamefully, or never being allowed to continue on them, although seemingly for Women only that we’ve heard about…. Yes, inconsistency abounds and double standards and careless neglect to the duty of the status of an Olympian. If the Dutch don’t mind child rapists doing whatever in their country, they need to deal with that. But the Olympic Committee represents the World and it’s standards of conduct. And what they are allowing is just as terrible as supporting child sex trafficking, which took Decades to even get highlighted in the news and other media as something we should be concerned about as civilized people who view children and women as more than mere objects of possession. It is the Olympic Committee we should be taking to the stand for this now.
Allowing a country to participate that is credibly accused of genocide also seems to be fine.
I thought Russia wasn’t allowed to compete.
What utter piffle and balderdash. The misdemeanour was “rape” not rape i.e. it was what they call “statutory rape” in the US, in this case with a girl who was reportedly up for it big time. The offence involved a minor but it was also a very minor offence. Refreshing to see the Olympics people keeping a sense of proportion.
The girl was 12. If your 12-year-old daughter was “up for it,” would that make it okay?
How can anyone up-vote this comment? There appears to be a clandestine pedophile community on Unheard now.
Perhaps some journalist somewhere could find out which companies are sponsoring the Dutch Olympians, and ask for comments?
But, if he had told an adult woman, at work, here in America, “you look very nice today” he would be fired, cancelled, shunned and ruined in many ways. Unless he looks like a handsome celebrity. Then it’s OK to pay a compliment at work 🙂
Stuff like this and worse has been the ugly underbelly of sports for my whole life. My erstwhile interest as a spectator has dwindled over years of cheating scandals, sometimes violent criminality, athletes-as-political-activists, gauche celebrity sports millionaires, abusive coaches, and performance-enhancing drugs. My robust youthful experience of participatory competitive sports was similar. Young men of character in sports are notable mostly as exceptions; the majority are thugs who gravitate to athletics because it is a venue that rewards them for being narcissistic bullies. Anyone who clings to the sad notion that athletes are role models and cites examples of sports figures of outstanding character needs to be reminded that exceptions do not prove the rule.
As a compatriot, I am proud of Steven van de Velde’s participation in the Olympics. As a 19-year-old, he did something very very stupid, paid for it and acknowledged it; came clean. Jo Bartosch is now happy to tell him off – cancelling him – so typically English or should I say anglosaxon (but unheard of on UnHerd) and not very well informed. You could even argue that Van der Velde is actually making himself vulnerable by continuing with his sporting career (he is now 30). No one overlooks child rape. And I don’t see what the double standard is here. You either qualify for the Olympics or you don’t. It is Bartosch who now disqualifies herself as a journalist and who should be ashamed of herself for fuelling this kind of media lynch behaviour, mixing up all kind of arguments and taking things out of context. I see a wonderful career ahead for her at some tabloid, if she wants to pursue this kind of ‘inquiry’.
Go, and sin no more.
Yes, OK, but what are we supposed to do with him, send him to the dumpster to live like an outcast with a bell hanging around his neck?
Ummm. Maybe he can just get a Normal job like the rest of the world, of course one that doesn’t allow him to be in close contact with children or mentor them. Seriously… You can’t imagine him doing Anything else besides being one of the most prestigious athletes in the world deemed Olympic material???? Wow. Guess all those other child rapists should just get to do whatever they want and have their sex offender status wiped from their records.
Why do ‘we’ have to do anything with him? He is ‘kind’ now. Whatever that means. Being an Olympian is not a right. He can make a life of kindness far away from kids, and never pretend to be anyone’s role model.
He is not owed anything. You go to the Olympics because you qualify, not by invitation.
You are saying that he should be barred from competitive sporting events? Anything else he should be barred from, jobs that make just above the minimum wage for example?
He should be barred from being honoured in front of the world, not from competitive sport nor having a job!
And what if he did very well indeed in whatever he did?
The Olympics is invitation only. Lots of athletes are barred for non-sporting reasons. The IOC national federations and the IOC have the right to refuse participation. The entire Russian federation is currently banned, and Charlotte Dujardin is banned for the non-criminal offence of being a bit rough to a horse.
Actually, yes. He would never work in my company. That’s why you need vigilantes. If it was my kid he did, he would not be found.
“not be found” – meaning ?
Are you advocating lynch law ?
“not be found” ?
How about, as a start, he is treated normally.
Cancel his special dispensation (and no one else as it happens) to ignore the Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation obligation to participate in media and sponsor activities.
Shy and hate interviews? Tough. Exhausted and defeated? Hard cheese. Rapist? Let’s tear up the rules to make you feel better! He’s getting a free pass denied to all the other athletes simply because he’s a rapist.