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The Netherlands Sends Convicted Child Rapist To Represent At Olympics

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by blueapples
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - 18:47

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In 1897, French sociologist Émile Durkheim put forward his theory of anomie. Durkeim postulated that a lack of social cohesion leading to the degradation of norms which cultures were built upon would inevitably lead to the dissolve of a society. His theory and heritage proved to be prescient, perhaps best illustrated by the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. While the controversial ceremony marked by satanic imagery, debauchery, gluttony, and transgenderism embodied the social degradation Durkeim forewarned of, the host nation that organized the garish display is not the only country whose participation in the games is marred by sexual depravity. In an even more brazen abandonment of respect for social and cultural norms, France’s neighbor the Netherlands has sent its compatriot Steven van de Velde to represent the nation at the 2024 games despite the fact that the beach volleyball player was sentenced to 4 years in prison for the rape of a 12-year-old girl on 2014.

2024 Olympic logic: Hijabs are banned but child rapists are not.

In 2016 van de Velde was found guilty of traveling to Britain from his native country to meet a 12 year-old girl who he groomed through Facebook. While the victim initially told the Dutch Olympian that she was 16, she confessed her true age to van de Velde before he arrived to meet in her hometown of Milton Keynes, England. Upon arrival, van de Velde got the underaged girl drunk and raped her 3 times over the course of 2 days. He returned to his native Netherlands, advising the victim to get contraception over Facebook when they resumed their correspondence. She went to a local sexual health clinic for the morning-after pill and local authorities were alerted in consideration of her age.

Dutch authorities eventually extradited van de Velde back to Britain to face charges in March 2016. During proceedings, his victim revealed the toll the rape had taken on her. She described how the trauma inflicted upon her led her to commit self-harm and that she suffered a drug overdose trying to cope with the rape. In light of the abundance of evidence against him, van de Velde pled guilty to rape of a child under the age of 13 and was sentenced to 4 years in prison and placed on the UK sex offender registration list. At the time of his sentence, van de Velde was already an accomplished athlete and aspiring Olympian. This was not lost upon the court as the judge stated "Your hopes of representing your country now lie as a shattered dream.” going on to proclaim “Plainly it is a career end for him" to conclude his sentencing hearing.

Unfortunately, the judge’s remarks would not age well. The flaws in the justice system that enabled him to eventually achieve his lifelong dream of competing in the Olympics immediately took form as van de Velde was allowed to return to the Netherlands to serve his sentence in accordance with a treaty between the UK and the Netherlands. Upon his return, the 4-year prison term was adjusted to conform to Dutch law. After serving just 13 months behind bars, van de Velde was released from prison.

Following his release, van de Velde campaigned to rehabilitate his image as his aspirations to compete in the Olympics remained undeterred. During his public relations tour, he unconvincingly feigned regret for his actions, with that disingenuousness being obvious when he would show indignance at criticisms labeling him as a pedophile by responding that the term did not apply to what he did. His lack of remorse became utterly apparent during his media tour, succinctly demonstrated by his remarks in 2018 when he said "As you know, things happened. We had sex and I came back the next day.”, referring to the rape he pleaded guilty to as sex, wrongfully implying it was a consensual act.

His remorseless attitude was emboldened by the Dutch Volleyball Association (Neveobo) as it allowed him to resume his international career as a beach volleyball player in 2018, not even one year removed from serving his truncated prison sentence. The convicted rapist and his partner Matthew Immers would qualify for the Olympics in Paris in June 2024. Nevobo would defend his participation in the games, which stated "We know Steven's history. Before he expressed his desire to return to beach volleyball, we spoke extensively with him, as well as with [the Dutch Sports Federation] and the international volleyball federation FIVB," when its general director Michel Everaert addressed van de Velde’s qualification in the games. While Nevobo sanctioned his return to competition, his participation in the 2024 games in Paris was ultimately determined by the Dutch Olympic Committee, which decided that "Van de Velde now meets all the qualification requirements for the Olympic Games and is therefore part of the team,".

Immers and van de Velde took to the court at the Olympics in Paris for the first time on July 28th. When the child molester's name was announced before the crowd attending the match between the Netherlands and Italy, he was booed by the audience. Their outcry represents the rejection of the normlessness Durkheim forewarned of that been advanced by Olympic institutions during the games. That sentiment was amplified by a round of applause celebrating the Netherlands defeat to Italy. Following the loss, van de Velde reaffirmed his lack of character and accountability by breaking Olympic protocol by skipping his post-match media duties.

The breach of decorum in skipping media availability was revealed to be part of a strategy the Dutch Olympic team implemented to shield van de Velde from criticism. Dutch press attache John van Vliet admitted “We are protecting a convicted child rapist, yes,” confirming that van de Velde was allowed to skip media duties after the match. He would go on to explain the rationale behind the decision, stating  “We are very much aware that if we bring Steven out here, it won’t be about sport or his performance.” Dutch Olympic officials also stated that they had taken additional measures to insulate van de Velde, including arranging accommodations to keep him lodged outside of the Olympic Village where the rest of the athletes stay.

Ironically, the Olympics claims it holds its athletes to high standards. Participants, including van de Velde, are required to sign a declaration promising to act as role models during the games. Despite being a literal child rapist, the Olympics officially have sanctioned the premise that van de Velde can be held in such esteem. That social decay has also been exemplified by media coverage of van de Velde's controversial inclusion which has included rape apologists who have tried to paint the child molester in a positive light.

Despite the inclusion of van de Velde in the games, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) has reserved the right to bar athletes from competition when it comes to pushing its own political agenda. This was evident when the Russian Olympic Committee was barred from the 2024 games in Paris as a reactionary measure to the war in Ukraine. While Russian athletes are still allowed to compete, they must be designated as an Individual Neutral Athlete (INA) and are not allowed to display the Russian flag or play its national anthem. The IOC has even gone as far as banning Russian INAs who voice support for Russia in the war or have any affiliation with the country’s military or national security agencies. All Russian INAs are subjected to strict scrutiny by being vetted by the IOC Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel to assure they meet those qualifications.

While the IOC has taken extreme measures against Russian athletes in the name of the integrity of the games, they’re unconcerned about the blatant hypocrisy of allowing an admitted child rapist to participate in the 2024 Olympics. The politicization behind that dichotomy embodies Durkheim’s theory of anomie, in which the degradation of norms that would otherwise preclude van de Velde from participating in the games have been completely abandoned. It is apropos that Durkeim put forward this theory in his seminal 1897 work titled Suicide, considering that the 2024 Olympics in Paris put western civilizations’ intent to destroy itself on full display.

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