- Convicted rapist Van de Velde booed on Olympic debut
- Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old British girl
- The crowd’s reaction was mixed, with both boos and applause when Van de Velde was introduced
- His inclusion in the Dutch team has been widely criticised by women’s and safeguarding groups
Convicted rapist Van de Velde booed on Olympic debut
Convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde made his Olympic beach volleyball debut in Paris, greeted by a mix of boos and cheers. Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old British girl. Despite their high ranking of 10th in the world, Van de Velde and his partner Matthew Immers lost 2-1 to Italy’s Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula, ranked 25th, at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.
The crowd’s reaction was mixed, with both boos and applause when Van de Velde was introduced. The match proceeded with handshakes before and after. The Dutch duo will next compete against Chile’s Marco and Esteban Grimalt on 31 July at 15:00 BST.
An online petition to ban the 29-year-old Van de Velde from the Olympics had garnered 90,000 signatures before his first match. His inclusion in the Dutch team has been widely criticised by women’s and safeguarding groups.
Van de Velde is staying outside the Olympic Village and avoiding post-match media, with heightened security around him in Paris. In past interviews, he expressed remorse, acknowledging his crime as “the biggest mistake of my life.”
Lots of boos for Steven Van De Velde as he makes his beach volleyball debut in the Olympics.
— Jordan (@grahamjordan_) July 28, 2024
A man convicted of raping a 12 year old child should be not playing at the Olympic Games.#OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/7KUTY2gpTz