[5] Van de Velde returned to the Netherlands after the rapes[6] and told his victim to go to a sexual health clinic for emergency contraception.

[7] During his sentencing remarks, the judge said, "Your hopes of representing your country [as an Olympic athlete] now lie as a shattered dream" and "he has lost a stellar sports career being branded a rapist.

The sentence was adjusted in line with Dutch law, and the charge of rape was substituted for one referring to ontucht ("sexual acts that violate social-ethical norms").

[11] After his release in 2017, Van de Velde complained about "all the nonsense" reporting on his crime in the media, claiming that the term pedophile did not apply to him.

[13] The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in Britain condemned his comments at the time, stating that his "lack of remorse and self-pity is breathtaking".

The Committee apologized for the psychological effect of Van de Velde's nomination on sexual assault victims, saying they did not expect it to attract so much attention.

[21] Van de Velde made his Olympic debut at Paris 2024 alongside partner Matthew Immers on 28 July 2024, losing the match against Italy's Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula by two sets to one.

[29][30] In an August 2024 interview with Nederlandse Omroep Stichting, Van de Velde stated that he had considered quitting the Olympics due to the controversy surrounding his participation, but decided to continue playing.

[31] Two weeks after the Olympics, Immers and Van de Velde won a bronze medal at the 2024 European Beach Volleyball Championships in the Netherlands.