Van de Velde was in action on Sunday morning (Picture: David Davies/PA Wire)
Steven van de Velde was booed by spectators in his first appearance at the Paris Olympic Games.
Van de Velde is representing Netherlands as part of the beach volleyball squad in the French capital.
The 29-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year-old British girl when he was 19.
He resumed his volleyball career after serving 12 months of a four-year sentence and was named in the Netherlands’ Olympic squad in June.
Van de Velde entered the court for Netherlands’ opening match against Italy on Sunday morning.
He was greeted by boos upon his arrival as his name was called out by the stadium announcer at Champs de Mars park, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in the French capital.
Van de Velde was teamed with Matthew Immers, with the duo taking on Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula.
Van de Velde’s inclusion in the Dutch squad was widely criticised in the weeks leading up to the Games but he has retained the full backing of Dutch selectors.
Netherlands team boss Pieter van den Hoogenband explained last week ‘measures’ have been taken to facilitate Van de Velde’s participation at the Games.
Van de Velde will not speak to the media and is being housed away from the athlete’s village.
‘Steven has been active in international sports and the beach volleyball world for a long time,’ Van den Hoogenband, who won swimming gold medals at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, told Dutch outlet NOS.
‘He has played in World Cups, European Championships and World Championships, but then you see that things are different around the Games. That things are exaggerated around the Games.
‘We don’t have blinkers on and we don’t close our eyes. I’m the boss, responsible for the whole team, for the athletes. He’s just a member of the team, he qualified, and that’s why he deserves our support.’
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