Child rapist and Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde says he considered quitting Paris Olympics

Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, a convicted child rapist, has said he considered quitting the Paris Olympics amid controversy surrounding him taking part. Van de Velde, 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three counts of rape against a 12-year-old British girl.

He served just 12 months of his sentence and fans at the Games and across the globe were vocal in their disapproval over his participation in the competition. Van de Velde met his victim on Facebook and travelled from Amsterdam to the UK in 2014 and raped the girl at an address in Milton Keynes.

It is understood he did not stay in the Olympic Village at his own request and refused to take part in interviews. However, in an emotional interview with Dutch national broadcaster NOS after the Olympics came to a close, he revealed he had considered quitting before deciding to compete.

He said: "I thought, 'I don't want that. I'm not going to give others the power to decide they can bully me away or get rid of me'."

Now married with a young son, he also said the reaction of the crowd may have impacted his performance.

"So there is certainly a very good chance that it has had an influence on our game," he told NOS. "If I think about how much I was focused on peripheral matters - with how I want to be on the field instead of with tactics against the opponent - then you can say that that has had an influence, but there is no point in passing the buck.”

Talking about the backlash he received, Van de Velde,said: "Do you want somebody with a history? Can he stand on the podium? That is a legitimate question to ask.

“I can't change what people think of me. Someone can hold me responsible forever for what happened and that's OK, because that's what it is. It is their right. So, I accept that. I'm not the person I was 10 years ago."

The Dutch Olympic Committee has maintained Van de Velde is successfully rehabilitated and deserves his place in the squad. However, Rape Crisis England & Wales said his inclusion was “shocking”.

The International Olympic Committee has faced calls for an investigation into how a convicted child rapist has been allowed to compete at Paris 2024 but said it was powerless to stop the Netherlands from sending an athlete who qualified in the usual way.

In a statement posted on the website of the Netherlands Volleyball Federation before the Olympics, Van de Velde said of his criminal conviction: "I cannot reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences. It has been the biggest mistake of my life."