The most controversial man at the Olympics: Mail Sport tracks convicted child molester Steven van de Velde as he arrives in Paris amid anger over the Dutch volleyball star’s participation in the Games

The first sign of a storm approaching were the undercover agents on Platform 9. Eight burly men, one of them wearing an LA Lakers basketball jersey, were waiting for Steven van de Velde to arrive at the Gare du Nord.

After the beach volleyball player boarded the Eurostar at Rotterdam Centraal station, she was scheduled to get off at 2:43 p.m. in Paris from a carriage reserved for the Dutch Olympic team.

As his procession approached, the police presence increased. The gendarmerie arrived in groups of four, most of them carrying heavy rifles, anticipating an angry reception for the most controversial participant in these games.

Three platforms further on, the athletes of the British team were allowed through without much fuss. But the British team will not transport an athlete who pleaded guilty to the three-fold rape of a 12-year-old British girl in Milton Keynes in 2014 and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Van de Velde, 29, was hard to miss as he got out. A 6ft 6in man in the team’s orange colours, he towered over the regular passengers. As he passed the police aisle, Mail Sport asked if he was surprised to have been selected for these Games. Silence.

The 29-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in 2014

What message does his selection send to victims of sexual abuse? Silence.

He just stared at the exit of the station where the personnel carrier was waiting. Will he speak to the media about the situation? “I think you can read the statement,” he said finally. “I don’t do press work.”

And what about his decision to stay away from the Olympic Village? “You can read the statement. It contains all the information.”

At that moment, a member of the Dutch team team stepped between us and blocked the communication line. “We have only just arrived,” he said. “We are not giving interviews at the moment.”

Moments later, the team was taken to their accommodation in official vehicles. Most of them settled in the Olympic Village, where athletes sat in the sun on Tuesday and exchanged their team badges with participants from other countries. It feels like an international carnival, but Van de Velde is not there – by his own volition. He checked into his own accommodation on the other side of town, away from prying eyes.

It is known that numerous athletes have expressed to their committees their deep discomfort at allowing such a criminal to participate in the 2024 World Championships in Paris.

Van de Velde contacted his victim via Facebook and travelled from the Netherlands to meet her. Authorities were alerted after she visited a family planning clinic to obtain the morning-after pill, stressing her age of 12.

Sport tends to celebrate people who have stepped out of line and then returned as reformed characters, but Van de Velde’s actions have no place in such a comeback story.

His participation in the games has sparked outrage among fans and many other athletes

“How the hell could he even compete?” one athlete told Mail Sport privately. He was tried at Aylesbury Crown Court in 2016 and sentenced to four years in prison for the rapes, which had taken place two years earlier when he was 19.

He served part of his sentence in Britain before being transferred to the Netherlands, where laws regarding sex with minors are less strict. It was claimed that the relationship was loving and consensual and the sentence was more lenient. Van de Velde insisted after his early release that he was not a paedophile.

He remains on the UK sex offenders’ register and on Tuesday the Dutch team referred all questions about his selection to a press release on its website, which read: “We are taking concrete steps to ensure a safe sporting environment for all Olympians following Steven van de Velde’s participation in the Olympic Games.”

“The measures were developed following a thorough risk assessment taking into account all affected groups. The results of the assessment have strengthened confidence in the safety of all those involved.”

“In 2018, beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde returned to top international sport after a previous conviction for a sexual offense in Great Britain in 2014. His return was possible following a special treatment program and in accordance with the conditions set by the Dutch Olympic Committee for athletes convicted of a criminal offense.

“Van de Velde has fully complied with all requirements and adhered to all strict risk assessment thresholds, controls and due diligence obligations. Experts have stated that there is no risk of reoffending.

“Van de Velde has always acted transparently in this case, which he describes as the biggest misstep of his life. He deeply regrets the consequences of his actions for those involved. He has spoken openly about the personal transformation he has undergone as a result.”

Van de Velde’s silence towards the media means his fellow athletes have had to answer questions about his behaviour in the opening days of these Games. Volleyball partner Matthew Immers has had to limit comments on many of his Instagram posts to avoid backlash.

His partner Matthew Immers (right) defended Van de Velde and said it was a disgrace how people talk about him.

Immers said on Tuesday: “It’s a shame that people talk about him like that. I know the Steven of today and I’m happy about it. He is a very good partner for me. We have fun and good company on and off the field, that’s the most important thing for me.”

The Australians said they would not have considered such a person for nomination. The Americans spoke on Tuesday about the party atmosphere in beach volleyball. The young Miles Partain from California praised their “respectful” Swedish rivals, whom he “looks up to” and who are “good representatives of our sport”.

But when asked about the Dutchman, he said: “We played against them twice and lost twice, so, yes. We are just concentrating on doing our best.”

The inclusion of Van de Velde, who is married to a German volleyball player and has a child with her, has sparked outrage among groups campaigning against sexual abuse and child safety.

Ciara Bergman, chief executive of Rape Crisis England & Wales, said: “The fact that convicted rapists can serve a sentence or undergo psychotherapy and then return to work shows that our response to rape is not putting survivors at the centre.”

“Survivors must find ways to cope with a range of (usually) lifelong effects, including trauma, flashbacks, poor physical and mental health, and lack of access to appropriate justice.”

And yet convicted rapists who have had spectacular careers are allowed to continue their careers, often under the pretext that their status is presented as an extenuating factor for their crimes.

Dutch team boss Pieter van den Hoogenband said on Tuesday evening that he was “surprised by the excitement”

“This sends a damaging message: that sporting competition is more important than the rape of a child, and that if the perpetrator of sexual violence has ‘overcome’ his or her behaviour, so should the victim and the rest of us.”

Dutch team boss Pieter van den Hoogenband said on Tuesday evening that he was “surprised by the excitement”.

The beach volleyball tournament was supposed to be a joyous event in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Instead, it is being held in the shadow of one man’s dark past.