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 wishing him “the best of luck”.
Former marathon world champion Paula Radcliffe appeared to fully endorse Netherlands beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde’s participation at Paris 2024 during a radio interview on Wednesday.
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”.
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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.
“So to ban someone for – and as I understand it, he was 19 at the time – 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.
“And he may well have turned it round and completely repented. And you certainly hope that.”
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.
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.
“I think it’s a tough thing to do to punish him twice,” Radcliffe said.
“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.”
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Her comments sparked broad condemnation and on Wednesday night (Thursday morning AEST) she apologised profusely in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Van de Velde, 29, has expressed remorse according to the Dutch Olympic Committee and has been competing in beach volleyball since 2017.
“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.
“I was sort of lost and now I have so much more life experience, aside from just being incarcerated.
“Any form of help would have been very, very helpful, maybe that’s what I would have told myself, seek help.”
Dutch delegation head Pieter van den Hoogenband earlier said he was “surprised at the agitation”.
“He has been active in international sport and the world of beach volleyball for a long time,” the former swimming star told broadcaster NOS.
“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.
“We have taken good steps together. All the athletes are dear to me and I try to support them.”
The volleyball player won’t stay in the Olympic Village or speak to the media during the Games.
The International Olympic Committee allows nations to select their own teams without overruling.
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.