Convicted child molester Steven van de Velde was booed at his Olympic debut in Paris

Convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde was booed by the crowd during his Olympic debut in beach volleyball in Paris.

The 29-year-old will represent the Netherlands at the Games after being selected by the Dutch team despite his conviction.

In 2016, Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting three counts of rape of a 12-year-old British girl.

Van de Velde met his victim through Facebook and travelled from Amsterdam to the UK in 2014 before raping the girl at an address in Milton Keynes.

He spent 13 months in prison, one year in the UK and one month in the Netherlands, before being released.

As Reuters reported, Van de Velde was released after his crime was classified as a less serious offence under Dutch law, namely “committing acts of immorality”, and his sentence was reduced.

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He later resumed his volleyball career and was selected by the Dutch team for the 2024 Olympic Games, which caused strong reactions.

The Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) defended the decision to select Van de Velde despite opposition from advocacy groups working to protect athletes.

A statement reads: “Since 2018, Steven van de Velde has been taking part in international beach volleyball tournaments again after intensive, professionally supervised training.

“After his release, he sought and received professional counseling. He demonstrated self-awareness and self-reflection to those around him – both privately and professionally.”

Van de Velde was reportedly isolated from his Dutch teammates at the Olympics and was banned from speaking to the media during his stay in Paris.

Former British team runner Paula Radcliffe caused controversy when she wished Van de Velde “good luck” before the Games and subsequently publicly apologised for her comments.

Radcliffe said: “Last night I gave an interview and made some comments that I deeply regret.

“I would like to sincerely apologize and emphasize how much I categorically condemn the crime of rape. I am ashamed that my words have portrayed me so inaccurately. It was a mistake not to denounce this clearly from the beginning.

“I definitely shouldn’t have wished him luck and I really have no explanation as to why I said that.

“I am sincerely sorry for misrepresenting my intended views, and I understand that this statement cannot in any way repair the harm, but hopefully expresses my deep regret.”

On Sunday, Van de Velde and his beach volleyball partner Matthew Immers made their debut at the Games and lost 1:2 to The Italians Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula in the Eiffel Tower Stadium.

When the two were introduced together, there was a mix of boos and applause. The same applause was repeated when Van de Velde was introduced to the crowd individually.

Van de Velde and Immers will next play against Marco and Esteban Grimalt from Chile on Wednesday.