Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, convicted of rape of a minor, was greeted with boos by the crowd as he made his Olympic debut in Paris.
Van de Velde, 29, was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting to three counts of raping a 12-year-old British girl.
He and his partner Matthew Immers are ranked 10th in the world but lost 2-1 to Italian pair Alex Rahghieri and Adrian Carambula, ranked 25th, at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.
Boos -and some applause – as Steven van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl when he was 19, enters the Stadium with his partner Matthew Immers. The boos were more audible when he was later introduced separately #PARIS2024 pic.twitter.com/yJGjxXKzE9
— Alexandra Topping (@LexyTopping) July 28, 2024
The Dutch duo were introduced together and greeted with cheers and boos as they took to the field.
Following Van de Velde’s individual announcement, there was a mixture of boos and applause from the public before the start of the match.
All the players shook hands at the beginning and end of the match.
Dutch beach volleyball players will play again on July 31 against Marco and Esteban Grimalt from Chile.
“It does not represent the spirit of the Olympics”
An online petition calling for Van de Velde to be banned from the Olympics received 90,000 signatures before he took part.
Her inclusion in the Dutch team has been criticised by women’s rights groups.
Some fans who spoke to the BBC before the match also They expressed that I should not be competing.
“He has been open and honest about the matter and has paid his penalty, but personally, I think they could have chosen differently,” said one British fan.
“They could have picked someone else, avoided the controversy and if it had been a Brit, I wouldn’t have been happy to have him on our team.”
Another person said Van de Velde’s inclusion “does not represent the spirit of the Olympics,” while someone else from Germany said they were shocked when they heard about the situation and thought the team should not have been allowed to play.
However, one fan said it was “fair” that Van de Velde was in the competitionadding: “He has already been punished and it is over and he can continue with his life like any other person.”
His teammate Immers said after the match that he also thought it was only fair that Van de Velde was allowed to play.
“We talked about it once and we want to enjoy every moment on this stage because together we have given everything in these last three years to be able to qualify,” he said.
“Steven is actually a nice guy and for me, having played with him for two years, there was no problem and now there are some people who don’t like him because this is a big tournament.”
Van de Velde is not staying in the Olympic Village and he is not making statements to the press after the games.
There was extra security around the player when he arrived in Paris with the rest of his team.
In an earlier interview with Dutch media, Van de Velde said: “I can’t turn back, so I will have to accept the consequences. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Why is he allowed to compete?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stated that the selection of team members is “the exclusive responsibility of each National Olympic Committee.”
Van de Velde returned to the sport in 2017. The Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) said that had complied with the directives set by the Dutch Volleyball Federation for an athlete to resume competition after a conviction.
The NOC announced that Van de Velde returned to the pitch “following a specialized treatment program.”
He added: “Van de Velde has been fully committed to all requirements and has complied with all strict risk assessment, inspections and due diligence parameters. Experts have stated that there is no risk of relapse”.
In a statement sent to the BBC, he also said: “Following his release, Van de Velde sought and received professional advice. He demonstrated to those around him – privately and professionally – self-criticism and reflection.”
IOC spokesman Mark Adams responded on Saturday to a question about whether the organisation was “comfortable” with Van de Velde’s inclusion.
“To characterize him as comfortable and satisfied would not be correct,” he replied.
“We feel that the NOC has explained its decision,” he said. “Comfortable and satisfied, characterize it as you want, but the statement they have given us is correct and we will continue
With reporting by BBC Sports’ Laura Scott and Amy Lofthouse in Paris.
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