Van de Velde was booed and jeered while competing at the Games. Dutch Olympic officials went to lengths to protect him from the press during the event.

He has now opened up to Dutch publication NOS about his experience, admitting that while he anticipated backlash, the intensity of it took him by surprise. "I definitely had a moment of breaking down, both before the tournament and during it. But I thought ‘I’m not going to give others the power to bully me away or get me away’.

  • Flying Squid
    79•28 days ago

    And he still hasn’t apologized for what he did.

    • SeaJ
      62•28 days ago

      He also doesn’t consider himself a pedophile despite grooming and raping a child multiple times.

        • 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝙼𝚎𝚘𝚠
          -13•28 days ago

          He literally said it during the interview this article is about.

          And I quote:

          I did something wrong 10 years ago. I have to take that. But hurting the people around me, whether it be Matthew (his teammate) or my wife or my child… that goes too far for me.

          And from a previous interview in 2018 (in Dutch): https://nos.nl/l/2240281

          I did what I did. I can’t reverse it, so I’ll have to live with the consequences. You may judge me, of course. It is the biggest mistake of my life.

          • Flying Squid
            21•28 days ago

            Neither of those are apologies. I am really concerned about what you think apologies are and what you think is acceptable for an adult to do to a child.

          • @njm1314
            13•28 days ago

            Good Lord neither of those are apologies come the fuck on.

          • @Dkarma
            11•27 days ago

            Where is the apology. Admitting wrongdoing is not an apology, bud.