Australia's emphatic response amid storm around Dutch athlete Steven van de Velde at Olympics
The volleyball star is part of the Netherlands' Olympic Games squad despite his criminal record.
Australia's Chef de mission Anna Meares has weighed in on the global backlash against Dutch athlete Steven van de Velde after declaring the Aussies would never allow a convicted rapist to compete at the Olympic Games. Van de Velde's selection in the Netherlands' beach volleyball team for the Paris Games has sparked uproar around the world after his criminal record came to light.
The 29-year-old served only 12 months of a four-year sentence after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year-old British girl when he was 19. Van de Velde returned to the sport in 2017 but his criminal record is back in the spotlight after being selected to represent his country at the Olympics.
Aussie women's beach volleyball stars Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, were asked for their thoughts on van de Velde's inclusion for the Netherlands. But after hesitating momentarily to ponder their response, Chef de mission Meares stepped in to make it abundantly clear that Australia would never allow someone with his past to represent Australia at the Olympics.
“It’s not in our position to comment on other NOCs (national Olympic committees) and their policies that they have in place,” Meares said. "If an athlete or staff member had that conviction they would not be allowed to be a member of our team. We have stringent policies on safeguarding within our team."
RELATED:
Fans hit out as video of Matildas players goes global before Olympics
Swimming world left saddened over news about Aussie Olympic hero
The Aussie cycling great and two-time Olympic gold medallist said the strict policies were particularly important to protect the safety of the nation's youngest athletes, with numerous teenagers making up Australia's Olympic team. “We have full confidences in those policies and the training that we’ve put our staff and athletes through to have awareness," she added. “We do have a number of athletes under 18 and under 16 and so those policies are well in action for safeguarding of our team.”
Dutch team responds to backlash around Steven van de Velde
Dutch Olympics officials have already taken a number of precautions around van de Velde in the wake of the backlash around the 29-year-old. The beach volleyball star has been booked into private accommodation and will not reside in the athletes' village in Paris with the majority of his fellow competitors.
The Dutch Olympic committee, in consultation with van de Velde and his playing partner Matthew Immers, have also banned him from speaking to the media in Paris, with his participation sparking fury among women's advocacy groups. "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," Netherlands chef de mission Pieter van den Hoogenband told Dutch TV.
It comes after a prominent women's advocacy group in sport argued that van de Velde's inclusion sent a "message to everyone that sporting prowess trumps crime". But Van den Hoogenband says the backlash has taken him by surprise, given van de Velde has played in world cups and European championships since doing his time in prison.
"You see that things are different around the Games. They are magnified around the Games," Van den Hoogenband added. The International Olympic Committee has no role in the decision to select van de Velde for the Games, with the selection of athletes resting with each national committee.
with agencies
