The Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde was convicted in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old girl.
When he competed at the Olympic Games in Paris, van de Velde received boos and whistles from the audience.
Something that made him consider withdrawing from the Olympic Games.
But I thought "it's not what I want, I'm not going to give others the power to decide that they can bully me out of the competition or get rid of me", says van de Velde to the Dutch NOS.
The 30-year-old and his beach volleyball partner Matthew Immers reached the round of 16 at the Olympic Games, where the duo lost to Brazil.
Van de Velde believes that the audience's loud disapproval affected their game during their four matches at the Olympic Games.
If I think about how much I focused on external things – with how I want to be on the court instead of our tactics against the opponents – you can say that it had an impact. But it's no use making excuses, says van de Velde.
The Dutchman did not speak to any reporters during the games and isolated himself from the Olympic Village.
I can't change what people think about me. Someone can hold me responsible forever for what happened and that's okay, because that's what it is. They have the right to it, so I accept it, says van de Velde, and adds:
I'm not the same person I was ten years ago.
Corrected version: Correct is that Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers were eliminated from the Olympic Games in the round of 16.
