The undercover heavies waiting on Platform Nine were the first sign a storm was coming. Eight burly men, one wearing an LA Lakers basketball vest, ready for the arrival of Steven van de Velde at Gare du Nord.
Having boarded the Eurostar at Rotterdam Centraal, the beach volleyball player was scheduled to set foot in Paris at 14.43 from a carriage that had been reserved for the Dutch Olympic team.
As his train approached, the police presence swelled. The gendarmerie arrived in squads of four, most carrying large guns, in anticipation of an angry reception for the most controversial competitor at these Games.
Three platforms away, Team GB athletes were ushered through with minimal fuss. But Team GB are not carrying an athlete who pleaded guilty to three counts of raping a 12-year-old British girl in Milton Keynes in 2016 and was sentenced to four years in jail.
Van de Velde, 29, was hard to miss as he disembarked. A 6ft 6in man wearing orange team colours, towering above the regular passengers. As he filed past the police gangway, Mail Sport asked if he was surprised to be selected for these Games. Silence.
Mail Sport's Nik Simon (right) confrontedSteven van de Velde upon his arrival at Paris'Gare du Nord station
The 29-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in 2016
What message does his selection send to the victims of sexual abuse? Silence.
He just stared towards the station exit where the team transport was waiting. Will he be speaking to the media about the situation? ‘I think you can read the statement,’ he said, eventually. ‘I’m not doing any media.’
What about his decision to stay away from the Olympic Village? ‘You can read the statement. It has all the information.’
At that point, a member of the Dutch backroom staff stepped between us and blocked the line of communication. ‘We have just arrived,’ he said. ‘We don’t do interviews right now.’
Moments later, the team were whisked off to their accommodation in official vehicles. Most of them settled in the Olympic Village, where athletes sat in the sun on Tuesday, swapping team badges with competitors from other countries. It feels like an international carnival but Van de Velde is not there — at his own request. He checked into his own accommodation across town, away from the prying eyes.
It is understood a number of athletes have expressed deep discomfort to their committees that such a criminal should be allowed to compete at Paris 2024.
Van de Velde contacted his victim on Facebook and travelled from the Netherlands to meet her. The authorities were alerted after she attended a family planning clinic to obtain a morning-after pill, highlighting her age of 12.
Sport has a tendency to embrace individuals who have stepped out of line and returned as reformed characters, but Van de Velde’s actions have no place in such a comeback story.
His participation in the Games has sparked outrage among fans and many fellow athletes
‘How the f*** has he been allowed to compete?’ one athlete said to Mail Sport privately. He was tried at Aylesbury Crown Court in 2016 and sentenced to four years in prison, for the rapes that occurred two years earlier when he was 19.
He served part of his sentence in the UK before he was transferred to the Netherlands, where the law relating to sex with minors is less stringent. It was claimed it was a loving and consensual relationship and viewed more leniently, with Van de Velde insisting he was not a paedophile after being granted early release.
He remains on the UK’s sex offender register and on Tuesday the Dutch team referred any questions about his selection to a press release on their website. It states: ‘We are implementing concrete measures to ensure a safe sporting environment for all Olympic participants following Steven van de Velde’s participation in the Olympic Games.
‘The measures have been developed following a thorough risk assessment, taking into account all affected groups. The assessment findings have reinforced confidence in the safety of all parties involved.
‘In 2018, beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde returned to the international elite sport level following a previous conviction for a sexual offence in 2014 in the UK. His return was possible following a specialist treatment programme and in accordance with the conditions set by (the Dutch Olympic Committee) for athletes convicted of a criminal offence.
‘Van de Velde has fully engaged with all requirements and has met all the stringent risk assessment thresholds, checks and due diligence. Experts have stated that there is no risk of recidivism.
‘Van de Velde has consistently remained transparent about the case which he refers to as the most significant misstep of his life. He deeply regrets the consequences of his actions for those involved. He has been open about the personal transformation he has undergone as a result.’
Van de Velde’s media silence means fellow athletes have had to field questions about his actions in the early days of these Games. Volleyball partnerMatthew Immers has had to limit the comments on many of his Instagram posts to avoid the backlash.
His partnerMatthew Immers (right) came to the defence ofVan de Velde and claimed that it was a shame the way people speak about him
Immers said on Tuesday: ‘It’s a shame people talk about him like that. I know the Steven of today, and I’m happy about that. He’s a very good partner for me. We have fun and good company on and off the field, that’s the most important thing for me.’
The Australians stated they would not have considered such an individual for selection. on Tuesday, the Americans spoke about the party atmosphere at beach volleyball. Young Miles Partain, from California, heaped praise on their ‘respectful’ Swedish rivals who he ‘looks up to’ and are ‘good representatives of our sport’.
But asked about the Dutchman, he said: ‘We’ve played them twice and we lost twice, so, yeah. We’re just focused on playing our best.’
The inclusion of Van de Velde, who is married to a German volleyball player with whom he has a child, has sparked fury among groups that speak out on sexual abuse and children’s safety.
Ciara Bergman, CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales, said: ‘That convicted rapists are able to serve a sentence or complete a course of psychotherapy and then return to their career demonstrates a failure to centre survivors in our response to rape.
‘Survivors must find ways to cope with an array of (usually) lifelong impacts, including trauma, flashbacks, poor physical and mental health, and a lack of access to proportionate justice.
‘And yet convicted rapists who have high-profile careers are allowed to resume them often with their status framed as somehow mitigating their crimes.
Dutch team boss Pieter van den Hoogenband stated on Tuesday night he was ‘surprised by the fuss’
‘It sends a damaging message — that competing in sports matters more than raping a child, and that so long as a perpetrator of sexual violence has “moved on” from their behaviour, the victim and the rest of us should, too.’
Dutch team boss Pieter van den Hoogenband stated on Tuesday night he was ‘surprised by the fuss’.
The beach volleyball should be a joyous event in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Instead, it will be played out in the shadow of one man’s dark past.
