{"id":413868,"date":"2024-07-25T14:40:06","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T14:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=413868"},"modified":"2024-07-25T23:07:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T23:07:55","slug":"deeply-shocked-champ-sorry-for-child-rapist-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=413868","title":{"rendered":"'Deeply shocked': Champ sorry for child rapist call"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fallout from the inclusion of a convicted child rapist in the Dutch<\/a> Olympic<\/a> team has broadened, with a BBC pundit forced to apologise for wishing him "the best of luck".<\/p>\n

Former marathon world champion Paula Radcliffe appeared to fully endorse Netherlands beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde's<\/a> participation at Paris 2024 during a radio interview on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Asked whether there should be rules about competing in the Olympics based on what you'd done previously in life, the four-time Olympian said it would be a "very dangerous line to go down".<\/p>\n

OLYMPIC SCHEDULE:<\/strong> Your day-to-day guide to all the action in Paris, in AEST times<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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"We allow people who cheat in sports and take drugs in sport, to then come back and compete," she told British station LBC.<\/p>\n

"So to ban someone for \u2013 and as I understand it, he was 19 at the time \u2013 and he served his jail time, and it's a long time to carry on paying for that mistake for the rest of your life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

"And he may well have turned it round and completely repented. And you certainly hope that."<\/p>\n

In 2016, a British court convicted van de Velde of three counts of rape of a minor for for raping a 12-year-old girl when he was 19.<\/p>\n

He was sentenced to four years jail but only spent 13 months locked up and was transferred to the Netherlands to be dealt with under Dutch law.<\/p>\n

"I think it's a tough thing to do to punish him twice," Radcliffe said.<\/p>\n

"And if he's managed to successfully turn his life around, and after being sent to prison and to qualify and to be playing sport at the highest level, then I actually wish him the best of luck."<\/p>\n

Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and<\/strong><\/em> 9Now<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. Plus, every event ad-free and in 4K on<\/strong><\/em> Stan Sport<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Her comments sparked broad condemnation and on Wednesday night (Thursday morning AEST) she apologised profusely in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.<\/p>\n

"I profoundly apologise and am deeply shocked and disappointed in myself and can't understand how I managed to convey it so badly," Radcliffe said.<\/p>\n

"I think in my head by 'dangerous line' I meant allowing him into the Games when it is against all the Olympic ideals but I didn't say this out loud.<\/p>\n

"I wrongly jumped to explaining why legally, as I understand it he can't be excluded without first condemning the rape out loud, I think I assumed this went without saying I genuinely have no idea why I would ever wish luck when I didn't mean it and sincerely apologise for hurt."<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Van de Velde, 29, has expressed remorse according to the Dutch Olympic Committee and has been competing in beach volleyball since 2017.<\/p>\n

"I made that choice in my life when I wasn't ready, I was a teenager still figuring things out," he said, in a 2018 interview.<\/p>\n

"I was sort of lost and now I have so much more life experience, aside from just being incarcerated.<\/p>\n

"Any form of help would have been very, very helpful, maybe that's what I would have told myself, seek help."<\/p>\n

Dutch delegation head Pieter van den Hoogenband earlier said he was "surprised at the agitation".<\/p>\n

"He has been active in international sport and the world of beach volleyball for a long time," the former swimming star told broadcaster NOS.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

"He has participated in world cups, European championships and world cups, but you see that around the Games it is different. Things are amplified around the Games," he said.<\/p>\n

"We have taken good steps together. All the athletes are dear to me and I try to support them."<\/p>\n

The volleyball player won't stay in the Olympic Village or speak to the media during the Games.<\/p>\n

The International Olympic Committee allows nations to select their own teams without overruling.<\/p>\n

Australia's chef de mission, Anna Meares, said the team's stringent selection rules would not have allowed a convicted child rapist on the team<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fallout from the inclusion of a convicted child rapist in the Dutch Olympic team has broadened, with a BBC pundit forced to apologise for […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":413870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413868"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=413868"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":413875,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413868\/revisions\/413875"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/413870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=413868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=413868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=413868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}