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’.

    • 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝙼𝚎𝚘𝚠
      -13•3 months 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•3 months 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.