Crime
Convicted Rapist Steven van de Velde Makes Olympic Beach Volleyball Debut in Paris amid Mixed Audience Reactions
Convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde faced mixed reactions during his Olympic beach volleyball debut in Paris. Despite being ranked 10th globally, he and partner Matthew Immers lost to Italy's 25th-ranked team. Controversy surrounds Van de Velde's participation, with calls for his banishment from the Olympics.
4 min read
Originally published by nationnews.com (opens in new tab)
Convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde made his Olympic beach volleyball debut to a mixed reaction in Paris, with audible boos.
Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three counts of rape against a 12-year-old British girl.
He and volleyball partner Matthew Immers are ranked 10th in the world but lost 2-1 toItaly’s Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula, ranked 25th, at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.
The pair were introduced to the crowd together, with cheers as well as some boos as they walked out.
There were boos, along with applause, when Van de Velde was individually announced to the crowd before the match began.
All players shook hands before and after the match.
The Dutch pair are next in action on 31 July, when they face Chile’s Marco and Esteban Grimalt at 15:00 BST.
An online petition calling for 29-year-old Van de Velde to be banned from the Olympics had received 90,000 signatures before he played his first match.
His inclusion in the Dutch team has been criticised by women’s and safeguarding groups.
Fans speaking to BBC Sport before the match also felt he should not be competing.
One British fan said: “He’s been open and honest about it and he’s served his time, but personally, I think they could have made a different choice.
“They could have chosen someone else, avoided all the controversy and if it was a British person, I wouldn’t be happy they would be in our team.”
Another said that Van de Velde’s inclusion “does not represent the spirt of the Olympics”, while one German fan, when told by BBC Sport about the story, said: “I am very astonished. He should not be allowed to play.”
However, one Dutch fan said it was “right” Van de Velde was competing, adding: “He’s been punished and now it’s over and he can continue with his life like anyone else.”
His playing partner Immers, speaking after the match, also said he thought it was right that Van de Velde could compete.
“We talked about it one time and we want to enjoy every moment on this stage because we gave everything together for the past three years to qualify,” he said.
“Steven is a really nice guy and for me, I played two years with him, there was nothing and now there is some people that don’t like it because it is a big tournament.”
