The start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is still a week away, but controversies within the international camps are already brewing.
One participant drawing headlines is Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde.
Van de Velde, representing the Netherlands in beach volleyball, will be participating in the Paris Olympics next week. His involvement in the games has been highly controversial due to his criminal past.
According to BBC News, at the age of 19, van de Velde was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in England. In 2016, he was sentenced to four years in prison but was released after serving just one year in a Dutch prison.
Van de Velde resumed his volleyball career after being released and has competed in international tournaments since 2018 "following an intensive, professionally supervised trajectory," the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) said.
Response and Isolation
Due to the backlash surrounding his participation, van de Velde has decided not to stay in the Olympic Village. Instead, he will be staying in separate accommodation in Paris during the Olympics.
His decision to isolate himself comes in response to the significant criticism and uproar his presence has caused.
