India, Aug. 13 -- Steven Van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a child, broke down in tears in his first interview following his controversial participation in 2024 Paris Olympics.

The rapist volleyball star, 30, served just one year jail out of a four-year sentence for the rape of a 12-year-old British girl.

In 2014, the Dutch athlete was convicted on three charges of sexually abusing the child in Milton Keynes. He was chosen because national selectors believed he had paid his dues and secured an early release from prison.

However, van de Velde did not receive a warm response in the French city, and on August 4, he and his partner Matthew Immers were eliminated at the round of 16.

Speaking to a Dutch newspaper over a week after h...