Former Australian swimmer James Magnussen has joined calls for a Dutch volleyball player to be banned from the Olympic Games.
Beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after he confessed to raping a 12-year-old British girl when he was 19.
His participation in the team led to great controversy and security was tightened at the Dutch team’s base in the athletes’ village.
The Dutch Olympic Committee is under fire for selecting the 29-year-old athlete. Women’s rights organizations are calling for him to be removed from the team.
Van de Velde emphasizes that he is not a ‘paedophile’ or ‘sex monster’ and will launch his beach volleyball campaign under the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday.
And Magnussen, a two-time Olympian competing in the controversial Enhanced Games, said he was shocked to learn of Van de Velde’s transgression and his participation on the Dutch team.
He believes the seriousness of his crime warrants exclusion from the Games.
“I’m surprised the Dutch picked him. The Olympic Committee should disapprove of that, I think,” Magnussen said.
“It’s an interesting situation. I think he’s served his time, but that (the offense) is a big deal specifically.
‘If you had said shoplifting, I would have said there were no dramas, but rape is intense.
“I would say you look at things on a case-by-case basis when it comes to convicted criminals.
James Magnussen has waded into the major controversy marring the Olympic Games
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‘As for pedophilia, there is no place for that in the Olympics, that’s not what this is about.
‘Pedophilia is about the worst thing there is.
‘There is no way Swimming Australia would allow someone (with a similar offence) to represent Australia.
‘It’s bizarre that the Netherlands did that. I know it’s a progressive country, but this is a serious offense.’
Van de Velde is not staying in the Olympic athletes’ village and has been placed in isolation. He is also not allowed to speak to the media by Dutch officials.
After serving 13 months of his four-year sentence in a British prison, Van de Velde is married and has a son.
Dutch chef de mission Pieter van den Hoogenband spoke to Dutch television this week about the controversy.
“He’s not going to downplay it (his conviction),” he said.
“We have to respect that and help him as a team member to be able to perform.”
Harry Garside, the Australian boxer who won bronze in Tokyo, said the International Olympic Committee is still deciding whether Van de Velde will participate.
“I don’t know much about this case,” he said.
‘I don’t know the details of the case, but it’s one of those things that the public has to make up their own minds about.
“If he has pleaded guilty, it is very serious.”
An IOC representative said the governing body had no influence on van de Velde’s selection.
Convicted rapist Steven van de Velde fights for the Netherlands in Paris
Magnussen says the seriousness of the 29-year-old’s crime should warrant his deportation
Elsewhere, British running legend Paula Radcliffe has apologised after saying she ‘wishing [van de Velde] ‘good luck’ during a shocking radio interview with LBC.
It is a difficult task to punish him [van de Velde] “He’s won twice and if he’s managed to get his life back on track after being in prison and qualified to play at the highest level of sport, then I wish him the very best of luck,” the BBC analyst said.
After receiving massive criticism for her astonishing comments and claims that Van de Velde should not be running, Radcliffe released a statement apologising on social media.
The 50-year-old stressed that she “categorically condemns” rape and explained why she made her comments about Van de Velde.
“I gave an interview last night and made some comments that I deeply regret,” she said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
“I want to sincerely apologize and emphasize how much I categorically condemn the crime of rape. I am ashamed that my words spoke so inaccurately about myself. It was a mistake not to condemn this clearly at the beginning.
‘When I tried to explain how the athlete in question could possibly be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, I thought about the legal and regulatory aspects. I also wanted to emphasize how dangerous it is for an athlete convicted of such a crime to be allowed to return.
‘Participating in the Olympic Games is a privilege that should be reserved only for those who uphold the Olympic moral ideals.
‘I absolutely should not have wished him success and I really have no explanation for why I said that.
‘I sincerely regret that I misrepresented my intended views and I understand that this statement cannot in any way repair the damage, but I hope it conveys my deepest regret. Paula Radcliffe.’