What happened to convicted rapist Steven van der Velde at the Olympics?

A Dutch beach volleyball player convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl was booed by the crowd at the Paris Olympic Games, in which he was allowed to participate.

Steven van de Velde, 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for attacking a 12-year-old British girl two years earlier, when he was 19.

He only served 12 months of his prison sentence and, despite his conviction, was allowed to represent the Netherlands at the Olympic Games in Paris.

But when he was introduced at the start of his game, the crowd booed the athlete, showing their displeasure, even though some Dutch fans cheered the player on.

Here’s everything you need to know about the van de Velde controversy:

Who is Steven van der Velde

Steven van de Velde is a Dutch beach volleyball player who has represented the Netherlands at the 2015 European Games and the 2018 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.

In August 2014, the then 19-year-old raped a 12-year-old British girl he had met on Facebook after travelling to her home in Milton Keynes. Van de Velde returned to the Netherlands, but was eventually extradited to the UK and arrested in January 2016.

In March of the same year, he pleaded guilty to three counts of child rape at Aylesbury Crown Court and was sentenced to four years in prison. As part of a treaty between the Netherlands and Britain, van de Velde was extradited to the Netherlands to serve his sentence and was released after serving a year.

In delivering his verdict, the judge said his hopes of representing his country had become a “shattered dream,” adding: “For him, this is clearly the end of his career.”

But that doesn’t seem to be the case. The Dutch Volleyball Association allowed van de Velde to continue his career as a beach volleyball player and he was selected to represent the Dutch team at this year’s Olympic Games. The Dutch Olympic Committee said the 29-year-old’s rehabilitation was successful.

However, it is expected that he will not be in the Olympic Village and will not give the usual post-match interviews in the mixed zone.

What were the reactions?

There were boos from the crowd when van de Velde was introduced along with his playing partner Matthew Immers, but some Dutch fans cheered him on.

After the match, he was led away by the waiting media. When asked if they would protect him, the Dutch team’s press attaché, John van Vliet, said: “We protect a convicted child molester, yes. He should play his sport as well as possible, in a tournament for which he has qualified.”

Activists have spoken out against the 29-year-old’s participation in the Games. Rape Crisis England & Wales described this as “shocking”. Several groups called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban van de Velde from taking part in the Games, including the Athletes Network for Safer Sport.

Network coordinator Joanna Maranhao reportedly said: “Athletes competing at the prestigious level of the Olympic Games are often perceived as heroes and role models – Van de Velde should not receive that honour.”

“Contrary to the arguments of the Dutch NOC experts regarding the low risk of reoffending, his qualification for the Games must also be examined from a moral point of view. His participation is already causing further harm to people with their own experiences.”

What happens next?

Van de Velde and his partner lost their match against Italy but will next face Chile on Wednesday (31 August) before taking on Norway on Friday (2 August).

In the run-up to the Games, the International Olympic Committee had faced calls to launch an investigation into how the convicted rapist managed to take part in the Games. However, the committee said it was satisfied with the Dutch Olympic team’s explanations of van de Velde’s participation.

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