Dutch bodies back convicted rapist's Paris spot

The Olympic ruling body said it had no role in Dutch volleyball's decision to pick a convicted rapist for the Paris Games, a selection criticised by an advocacy group for women in sport.

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Steven van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in Britain in 2016 following the rape of a 12-year-old girl two years earlier when he was 19.

After serving part of his sentence there, he was transferred to the Netherlands and his sentence was adjusted to the standards of Dutch law. Van de Velde returned to international competition in 2018 and was named in the Dutch Olympic beach volleyball team in June.

The Dutch Olympic Committee and the Dutch Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) are allowing van de Velde, 29, to compete based on the advice of experts who they say have deemed the chance of a repeat offence very low, according to the association's website.