Convicted child rapist Steven Van de Velde shares Olympic sob story after facing barrage of boos in Paris
Steven Van de Velde was in tears during a press conference
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Convicted child rapist Steven Van de Velde has revealed that he came close to quitting the Olympics after facing a barrage of boos throughout the competition.
Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after being convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl.
He ended up serving just 12 months in a Dutch prison before being released in 2017 and he was allowed to resume his volleyball career by the Dutch governing body.
The Dutch Olympic Committee caused further controversy when they selected Van de Velde to be a part of their Paris squad, although he was isolated from the rest of the team and the Olympic village.
Steven Van de Velde was in tears during a press conference
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He was loudly booed when he made his debut in the beach volleyball competition after being introduced to the crowd.
The jeers continued throughout the competition until he was knocked out alongside team-mate Matthew Immers in the quarter-final stage.
The convicted child rapist was banned from speaking to the media throughout the Olympics as the Dutch time attempted to keep him out of the limelight.
But Van de Velde has now broken his silence since the end of the Paris Games where he broke down in tears during a press conference.
When asked whether the hostile reception he received at every match made him consider pulling out, he replied: "I definitely thought about it, yes.
"I did something wrong, ten years ago. I have to accept that.
"But hurting people around me - whether it's Matthew, my wife, my child... that just goes too far for me.
"That's definitely a moment where I thought, is this worth it?"
Steven Van de Velde was heavily booed at the Olympics
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Van de Velde understood why his participation in the Olympics caused such a commotion.
He added: "Do you want somebody with a history? Can he stand on the podium? That is a legitimate question to ask," he said.
But the 30-year-old, who is now married and has a young child, said: "I'm not the person I was 10 years ago.
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Steven Van de Velde came close to quitting the Olympics
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"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."