Paula Radcliffe has said she is “ashamed” of her interview wishing luck to the convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde at the Olympics in a new apology.
Radcliffe was heavily criticised after giving an interview in which she said “we allow people who cheat in sport and take drugs to come back and compete, he was 19 at the time and he has served his jailed time” about Van de Velde, who will represent the Netherlands in beach volleyball at this summer’s Games in Paris.
Radcliffe apologised soon after her comments on Wednesday evening, but posted a second full apology to convey her regret over the controversy.
“Last night I gave an interview and made some comments that I deeply regret,” Radcliffe wrote on social media platform X.
“I want to sincerely apologise and emphasise how much I categorically condemn the crime of rape. I am ashamed that my words so inaccurately represented myself. It was a mistake not to clearly denounce this at the beginning.
“In trying to explain how the athlete in question could possibly be allowed to compete at the Olympic Games, my thought process referred to the legalities and regulations when I also intended to highlight the danger of allowing an athlete convicted of such a crime to return.
‘I have no explanation for why I said that’
“Competing in the Olympic Games is a privilege that should be reserved for those who uphold the Olympic moral ideals. I absolutely should not have wished him luck and genuinely have no explanation for why I said that.
“I am truly sorry for so wrongly expressing my intended views and understand that this statement can in no way repair the damage but hopefully conveys my deep regret”
Van de Velde, 29, is representing Netherlands in beach volleyball at the Games, despite being sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old British girl when he was 19. While his involvement has been condemned by everyone from Australian chef de mission Anna Meares to multiple victims’ advocacy groups, Radcliffe, Britain’s former marathon world record-holder, initially argued in an interview with LBC on Wednesday that he should be shown mercy.
Describing the idea of banning Van de Velde as a “very dangerous line to go down”, she said: “We allow people who cheat in sport and take drugs to come back and compete. He was 19 at the time and he has served his jailed time. It’s a long time to carry on paying for that mistake for the rest of your life. He may well have turned it around and completely repented. You certainly hope.
“I know that he is married now and settled down. I think it’s a tough thing to do, to punish him twice. If he has managed successfully to 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. If it were to be repeated now or if it had been last year, I would be saying a different thing. But I think the learning difference from 19 to 29 is huge.”
She later issued an apology for those remarks, telling a user on X, formerly Twitter: “I 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.”
Radcliffe’s argument that Van de Velde deserved to be at the Games did not account for the fact that he had been told by Judge Francis Sheridan upon sentencing: “Prior to coming to this country, you were training as a successful Olympian. Your hopes of representing your country now lie as a shattered dream.” His own defence lawyer, Linda Strudwick, said of the verdict: “The headlines say it all: ‘A sex monster. It’s plainly a career end for him.”
On the contrary, Van de Velde has been allowed by the Dutch Olympic Committee and volleyball federation to rehabilitate his career. He and playing partner Matthew Immers are ranked 11th in the world and considered realistic contenders for a medal in Paris. The Dutch have formed the tightest of protective cordons around him, arranging for him to stay away from the athletes’ village and forbidding him from speaking to the media.
They are scheduled to begin their Olympic campaign on Sunday.
Source Agencies
