Dutch beach volleyball player convicted of rape says he considered quitting the Olympics

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016, said Tuesday that he considered quitting the Paris Olympics amid the controversy surrounding his participation.

Van de Velde and his partner Matthew Immers reached the quarterfinals in Paris, where they lost to Brazil in straight sets. The pair played four matches in the tournament and Van de Velde was repeatedly subjected to a stream of hoots and whistles.

Asked in an interview with Dutch national broadcaster NOS if he thought about quitting, Van de Velde said that he considered it both before and during the Olympics, but ultimately decided to compete.

“I thought, ‘I don’t want that. I’m not going to give others the power to decide they can bully me away or get rid of me,’” he said told NOS in Dutch.

Van de Velde did not speak to reporters during the Olympics.

He served 13 months in prison after his 2016 rape conviction in England. Although victims advocates, lawmakers and fans called for him to be banned from the Olympics, the IOC said it was powerless to stop the Netherlands from sending an athlete who qualified in the usual way.

In a statement posted on the website of the Netherlands Volleyball Federation before the Olympics Games, Van de Velde said of his past: “I cannot reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences. It has been the biggest mistake of my life.”

He and Immers finished with a 1-2 record in pool play before losing to the Brazilians in Paris.

Van de Velde said his and Immers’ play may have been affected by the crowd reactions.

“So there is certainly a very good chance that it has had an influence on our game,” he told NOS. “If I think about how much I was focused on peripheral matters — with how I want to be on the field instead of with tactics against the opponent — then you can say that that has had an influence, but there is no point in passing the buck.”

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Van de Velde said he understood the commotion.

“Do you want somebody with a history? Can he stand on the podium? That is a legitimate question to ask,” he said.

But Van de Velde, who is now married and has a young son, added, “I’m not the person I was 10 years ago.”

He paid tribute to family and friends as well as Dutch volleyball and Olympic authorities for their support. While he faced jeers in Paris, orange-clad fans of the Netherlands gave him their support.

“I can’t change what people think of me,” he said. “Someone can hold me responsible forever for what happened and that’s OK, because that’s what it is. It is their right. So, I accept that.”