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
    link
    7428 days ago

    Multiple times. And only got a year in prison for it.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      4128 days ago

      Multiple was unknown to me. Even worse. And this article was the first time I saw that he travelled to another country to do so. Wow. I wonder how this has affected the victim.

        • @njm1314
          link
          1928 days ago

          Which is zero. A 12-year-old can give zero consent. Yes, when a child is groomed and brainwashed by her rapist they tend to do things like react badly when the rapist is caught. That’s why it’s so important for them to have the care they need. It’s not important to have weirdos online defend their rapists.