RAPIST’S TEARS
Shameless Olympic child rapist Steven van de Velde moans about ‘bullies’ as his supporters claim he’s being ‘CANCELLED’
The sick sportsman was allowed to resume his Olympic career after just 12 months in prison
DISGRACED athlete Steven Van de Velde has moaned about being allegedly bullied as his fans claimed he is getting "cancelled" despite his good performance.
The beach volleyball player, who was jailed in 2016 for raping a Brit girl, broke his silence and wept after being booed at the Paris Olympics.
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Van de Velde, 30, revealed he considered skipping this year's Olympic Games after shamelessly blaming the media for reporting on his case.
But the disgraced athlete decided against it as he didn't want to let people "bully him away".
He told Dutch TV channel NOS: "I'm not going to give others the power to decide that they can bully me away or get rid of me."
Van de Velde previously broke into tears during an interview with Dutch media, saying: "I did something wrong, ten years ago. I have to accept that.
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"But hurting people around me - whether it's Matthew, my wife, my child... that just goes too far for me.
"That's definitely a moment where I thought, is this worth it?"
Some Dutch journalists seem to have been supporting the convicted rapist, saying he is being "cancelled" despite "setting a good example at the Games".
Iva Bicanic, who wrote an opinion piece for de Volkskrant, appeared to have condemned the behaviour of those booing and criticising Van de Velde's appearance in Paris, saying his "his cancelers do not deserve a medal."
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The reporter added: "The commotion shows how difficult we as a society find it to deal with people who have been convicted of committing a sexual offence.
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"A primary reaction such as 'you may not participate' does not deserve a medal, but is widely accepted."
The crowd booed Van de Velde at many of his matches, before he and his partner Matthew Immers got knocked out of the race to the medal after losing to Brazil in straight sets.
But despite the cold welcome in the French capital, the Olympic player revealed he "even got applause from the audience."
Shameless Van de Velde also claimed that there was a “very good chance” his performance was affected by the crowd's booing, STV News reports.
Volleyball association Nevobo went on to allege that the booing was orchestrated, Dutch outlet Omroep West reports.
General manager Michel Everaert claimed that the public was approached by people who asked them to boo Van de Velde.
Unlike all Olympic athletes, Van de Velde did not sleep in the Olympic village, but had a separate hotel room, Omroep West reports.
The Dutch also defended the child rapist getting special treatment to avoid interviews.
Dutch aide John van Vliet said: “We are protecting a convicted child rapist to do his sport as best as possible.”
Team-mate Matthew Immers, 23, also defended his pal, 29.
He said: “He’s had his punishment. And now he’s really kind.”
A Paris 2024 official revealed: “He was taken away with three bodyguards.
“We aren’t happy with that but the decision was made at the top of the IOC.”
Ciara Bergman, CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales, said: “It sends a damaging message that competing in sports matters more than raping a child.”
Upon his release in 2017, the sick sportsman tried to defend himself and moaned people weren't hearing "his side of the story".
His comments were slammed by the National Society for Protection of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
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A spokesman said: "Van de Velde’s lack of remorse and self-pity is breathtaking, and we can only begin to imagine how distressed his victim must feel if she sees his comments.
“Grooming can leave a child feeling ashamed or even guilty, because they believe they have somehow willingly participated when, in fact, an adult has preyed upon them in order to sexually exploit them.”
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Who is Steven Van de Velde?
by Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter
STEVEN Van de Velde is a professional beach volleyball player from the Netherlands.
Born on December 8, 1994, he has established himself as one of the top beach volleyball players in the Netherlands and has competed in numerous international tournaments, including the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The voleyball star was previously jailed for raping a Brit girl.
Van de Velde flew from his native Netherlands to the UK to meet his 12-year-old victim after grooming her on Facebook.
He was 19 when he met with the girl in 2014.
Van de Velde later received a four-year prison sentence in 2016 after confessing to three counts of rape.
But the beach volleyball player returned to prominence after clinching his spot at the Paris Olympic Games.
The now 30-year-old qualified alongside his partner Matthew Immers, who are now the 11th-ranked team in the world.
Van de Velde was released in 2017 after serving just 12 months at a Dutch prison and has since been allowed to resume his Olympic career.
He travelled to the UK to meet up with his victim and have sex with her, Aylesbury Crown Court heard during his trial almost a decade ago.
The girl had added the Dutch player as a friend on Facebook after he allegedly commented on one of her photos, the court heard.
The pair would then chat every day over Facebook, Snapchat and Skype before he visited her in Milton Keynes in 2014.
The girl told her family she was staying with a friend and snuck out to try to meet with the 19-year-old at a hotel.
When they couldn't make a booking, they went to Furzton Lake in the town and drank Baileys and she performed a sex act on him.
The pair slept in cardboard boxes under a stairwell at Premier Inn because after they couldn't get a room.
The following morning, she allegedly led him to her empty house, where they had sex.
Prior to his return to the Netherlands, Van de Velde told the girl to get the morning after pill as they had not used contraception.
The girl's visit to a family planning clinic alerted authorities, who stepped in because of her young age.
Van de Velde was then extradited to the UK and arrested on suspicion of the sex acts.
In a statement posted on the Netherlands Volleyball Federation website before the Olympics, Van de Velde said: “I cannot reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences. It has been the biggest mistake of my life.”
Van de Velde, who is now married and has a young son, added: “I’m not the person I was ten years ago.”