Dutch volleyball player convicted of rape booed at first Olympic Games

Dutch volleyball player Steven van de Velde’s troubled past sparked a media storm ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games – and his first foray onto the court was met with mixed reactions.

Van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in 2016, was audibly booed as he was introduced to the crowd at the Eiffel Tower Stadium on Sunday, July 28, according to multiple reports.

Although there was some applause among the boos for the 29-year-old athlete, his teammate Matthew Immers was cheered as he came onto the field. The pair ultimately lost their match against Italy.

Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting three counts of rape. He was released in 2017 after serving just over a year of the sentence. The New York Times.

His inclusion in the Dutch Olympic team sparked strong reactions from various organizations. Among other things, over 95,000 people called for his disqualification in a petition on Change.org.

The Dutch Olympic Committee subsequently issued a statement saying that van de Velde had turned his life around in the years since his prison sentence.

“We are deeply aware that the renewed publicity of Steven van de Velde is causing a lot of emotions, which we fully understand as the events at the time were very serious,” the media said in a statement. Just“A lot has happened since then. Steven has served his sentence and completed an extensive rehabilitation program with specialized professionals, including the probation service. Experts have concluded that there is no risk of reoffending.”

However, van de Velde will be housed outside the Olympic Village and will not take part in media interviews to avoid further investigation. Just reported.

After Sunday’s match, van de Velde’s playing partner Immers told the BBC he was happy to be able to compete alongside him at the Olympics.

“We talked about it once and we want to enjoy every moment on this stage because we have done everything together for the last three years to qualify,” he said. “Steven is a really nice guy and for me it didn’t matter, I played with him for two years but there was nothing and now there are some people who don’t like it because it’s a big tournament.”

The BBC also reported that van de Velde had previously told Dutch media that he considered his conviction “the biggest mistake of his life.”

“I can’t undo it, so I’ll have to face the consequences,” he is said to have said.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org.

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