Volleyball player competing in Olympics and convicted of raping a 12-year-old will be housed away from athletes

Dutch Olympic committee NOC*NSF has been forced to take additional measures ahead of Steven Van de Velde competing in the Olympics.

In 2016, Van de Velde admitted to three counts of rape against a child and was sentenced to four years behind bars in a British prison.

Back in 2014, the Dutch-born athlete flew to the UK to see a young girl he'd met over Facebook.

Van de Velde, now 29, was sentenced to four years in prison back in 2016. (Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

The girl, who was from Milton Keynes, was only 12 years old at the time of their meeting. Despite her age, Van de Velde proceeded to have sexual relations with her.

Two years later, he was convicted of rape against a child and, while he was sentenced to four years in jail, Van de Velde only served 12 months.

Van de Velde has since qualified for this year's Olympics in Paris - a decision that has been met with a lot of criticizm as a result of the 29-year-old's criminal past.

Addressing people's concerns last month, the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF) said: "After his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional counselling. He demonstrated to those around him - privately and professionally - self-insight and reflection."

The volleyball star admitted to three counts of rape against a child. (Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

It added that Van de Velde's return to the sport met guidelines set by the Dutch Volleyball Federation (NeVoBo) in the organization's 'Guidelines Integrity Record', which sets out conditions for athletes to resume competing after conviction.

While the NOC*NSF stood by its decision to allow Van de Velde to compete, it's now be forced to take further measures and is reportedly making the volleyball player stay separately from his fellow Dutch athletes.

Speaking on the matter, the NOC*NSF told the NL Times: "NOC*NSF have come to these measures after discussions with the beach volleyballer and his teammates.

"Several other measures relate to, among other things, the supervision of beach volleyball players. In the interests of the people involved, no further announcements will be made about this."

The Paris Olympics will start on Friday, July 26. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The governing body went on to say that it hopes the decision will 'contribute to a sense of calm for the participants at the Games'.

It continued: "NOC*NSF regrets the impact of the unforeseen renewed attention for everyone who suffers from trauma due to sexual offenses and inappropriate behavior."

The Olympics are set to begin next week on Friday, July 26, and will run until Sunday, 11 August.

UNILAD has approached the NOC*NSF for further comment.

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.