The Netherlands' decision to include Steven Van de Velde in its Olympic beach volleyball team has caused an international uproar. The 29-year-old, who will represent his country at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris starting in July, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old British girl after giving her alcohol. Since 2016, his name is on the UK's sex offenders register for life.

The Dutch Volleyball Federation and the National Olympic Committee have issued a joint statement defending the decision. "Both organisations base their decision on the opinions of experts who consider the possibility of a repeat offence to be null and void. The statement, which recalls that the player has been competing internationally since 2017, also stresses that "after his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional treatment."

The player himself, having been made aware of the controversy surrounding his selection, has said in statements that he understands that on the eve of the biggest sporting event "this can attract the attention of the international media", while expressing deep regret. "I can't go back, so I have to take the consequences. It was the biggest mistake of my life," he said.

In early 2016, Van de Velde was charged with three counts of raping a 12-year-old British girl he met on social media, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison. The events had taken place in August 2014, when he was 19 and had travelled from the Netherlands to the UK to meet his victim. Sentencing him, the judge said that the athlete's chances of participating in the Games were a "shattered dream" and that he had a "dark side". He was allowed to serve his sentence in the Netherlands, but was released after only 12 months.

Steven van de Velde and his partner Matthew Immers are one of two men's teams from the Netherlands to qualify for the beach volleyball competition in Paris, which starts on 26 July. Most of the 24 Olympic duos qualify through points on the international tour and Van de Velde and Immers are ranked 11th.

The International Volleyball Federation commented that "we are aware that this is an incredibly sensitive issue", but that team selection is the responsibility of the National Olympic Committee "in accordance with the eligibility criteria". Either way, the news has caused considerable controversy on social media around the world.