TEAM GB legend Paula Radcliffe has sparked outrage after wishing an Olympian who raped a child “best of luck” for the Paris Games.
The BBC pundit said she believed that Steven van de Velde should be allowed to compete at the Olympics during a radio interview.
The beach volleyball player was sentenced to four years in prison in Britain in 2016 after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year-old girl two years earlier when he was 19.
He served part of his sentence in the UK before being transferred to his native Netherlands where his term was adjusted to the norms of Dutch law.
But Van de Velde was later released in 2017 after just one year in jail and continued playing beach volleyball right away.
Now 29, the athlete was controversially named in the Dutch Olympic team last month.
Radcliffe was asked by Andrew Marr’s LBC programme about the decision to allow Van de Velde to compete.
And the former Olympic star said that she believed Van de Velde “shouldn’t be punished twice”.
Paula told LBC: “It’s a tough thing to do to punish him [van de Velde] twice and if he’s managed to successfully turn his life around after being sent to prison and to qualify and be playing sport at the highest level, then I actually wish him the best of luck.”
Her comments have since sparked backlash on social media after the clip was viewed by thousands.
One wrote: ” I am utterly shocked that Paula Radcliffe has spoken out in support of Steven Van de Velde on LBC today.
“Her comments are gut-wrenching, this whole sorry saga is horrific, and more importantly won’t protect children from being abused.”
Another said: “I’m sure the 12 year old and her family are still living with his disgusting actions. Paula Radcliffe you should hang your head in shame.”
A third wrote: “Sorry to disagree with Paula Radcliffe but child rapists should never see the light of day let alone represent their country on the biggest stage.”
While a fourth added: “He raped the same 12 year old child THREE TIMES. He was sentenced to only FOUR years in prison for those crimes and actually only served a year.
“Why would any country want a convicted paedophile to represent them at the Olympics? And Paula Radcliffe, don’t talk crap!”
Radcliffe however seemed to take back those comments, replying to a post criticising her on X, she said: “I agree (that what she said was shocking) and can only apologise, that isn’t what I intended to say.
“I stress that it isn’t something that can be excused in any way.
“I was confused in my head and responding to the right to ban him from the Games and I don’t know why I wished him luck. Again I apologise.”
Van de Velde met the girl on Facebook, and flew to England to meet her with full knowledge of her age.
He only served 12 months in a Dutch prison and has since returned to compete internationally.
Recently, van de Velde joined up with a new partner, Matthew Immers, and they are the second ranked Dutch team for the Olympics.
Presenters:
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They secured one of their country’s two men’s spots at Paris 2024 and are ranked 11th on the overall rankings heading into the Games.
Disgraced Van de Velde moved to alternative accommodation in Paris and has been put on a ban from talking to media.
Chef de mission Pieter van den Hoogenband told Dutch TV: “He’s not going to downplay it (his conviction).
“We have to respect that and help him as a member of the team to be able to perform.”
Women’s groups have condemned the decision to allow Van de Velde to compete at the Games, and criticised his selection by the Netherlands.
The Times reports the 29-year-old is staying at a different location rather than with the other competitors in the athletes’ village.
Other organisations, including the British Olympic Association would not have allowed the beach volleyball player onto their Olympic team because of their own safeguarding rules.
The BBC have been contacted for comment.
Van de Velde flew from the Netherlands to the UK to meet his 12-year-old victim after grooming her on Facebook.
He travelled to the UK to have sex with her, Aylesbury Crown Court heard during his trial almost a decade ago.
The girl had added the Dutch player as a friend on Facebook after he allegedly commented on one of her photos, the court heard.
They would then chat every day over Facebook, Snapchat and Skype before he visited her in Milton Keynes in 2014.
The girl told her family she was staying with a friend and snuck out to try to meet with the 19-year-old at a hotel.
When they couldn’t make a booking, they went to Furzton Lake in the town and drank Baileys and she performed a sex act on him.
The pair slept in cardboard boxes under a stairwell at Premier Inn because they couldn’t get a room.
She allegedly led him to her empty house the following morning, where they had sex.
Prior to his return to the Netherlands, Van de Velde told the girl to get the morning after pill as they had not used contraception.
The girl’s visit to a family planning clinic alerted authorities, who stepped in because of her young age.
Van de Velde, from Voorburg, was then extradited to the UK and arrested on suspicion of the sex acts.
Upon his release in 2017, the sick sportsman tried to defend himself and moaned people weren’t hearing “his side of the story”.
His comments were slammed by the National Society for Protection of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
