Child rapist beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde admits he nearly quit Paris Olympics
Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl, has revealed he considered quitting the Paris Olympics as controversy escalated over his participation.
Van de Velde served 13 months in prison after his 2016 rape conviction in England and has admitted the crime represented "the biggest mistake of my life".
Victim support and safeguarding groups called for him to be banned, but the International Olympic Committee said it needed to "allow for the possibility of rehabilitation".
Van de Velde and his playing partner Matthew Immers reached the quarter-finals in Paris.
The pair played four matches in which Van de Velde was repeatedly subjected to a stream of boos and whistles from the crowd.
Van de Velde did not speak to reporters during the Olympics, but in an emotional interview with Dutch national broadcaster NOS, he said he considered quitting the games 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'."
Van de Velde, who is now married and has a young son, said the reaction of the crowd may have had an impact on 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."
Van de Velde, who received support from fans of the Netherlands, said he understood the commotion.
"Do you want somebody with a history? Can he stand on the podium? That is a legitimate question to ask," he said.
"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."
In a statement posted on the website of the Netherlands Volleyball Federation before the Olympics, Van de Velde said of his past: "I cannot reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences.
"It has been the biggest mistake of my life."
-SKY NEWS
