Dutch beach volleyball player convicted of rape receives mixed reactions at Olympic debut | Other sports news

Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde was found guilty and served a prison sentence for the rape of a 12-year-old girl

Steven van de Velde of Team Netherlands reacts during the Men’s Preliminary Round – Group B match between Team Netherlands and Team Italy on day two of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Eiffel Tower Stadium on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Getty Images)

New Delhi: A Dutch beach volleyball player received a mixture of boos and applause when he made his Olympic debut as part of the Dutch national beach volleyball team on Sunday.

Steven van de Velde was found guilty and served a prison sentence for raping a 12-year-old girl. The 29-year-old served four years in prison after his conviction in 2016.

When he entered the field with his teammate Matthew Immers, the Dutch fans cheered and applauded the players, but when van de Velde was introduced individually by the announcer before the match, there were loud boos.

Even when he was in action, boos rang out from the crowd. Despite his past, the player was selected by the Dutch National Olympic Committee for Paris 2024, although he was not allowed to stay in the Olympic Village.

He will remain separated from his teammates and is not allowed to speak to the media, but was given a warm hug by Sommers before the start of the game.

Van de Velde has been playing beach volleyball since 2017. He and Immers were beaten in their men’s group B match by Italians Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Ignacio Carambula Raurich with 22:20, 19:21 and 15:13.

Immers later said he was disappointed that so much attention had been focused on van der Velde’s past, even though the two had fought hard to qualify for Paris.

“I have known the guy for two or three years and we have played every tournament. What is in the past is in the past and he has received his punishment,” he said, quoted by AFP.

“For me, this is a great example of growth and learning a lot from it. What happened in the past… that’s obviously not good. But right now we’re trying to enjoy it and move on to the next round.”

The Dutch Olympic team stated that van der Velde had served his sentence for his misconduct and was selected based on his performance.

“This is something that should not be brought up in sport, in a tournament for which he has qualified,” said John van Vliet, according to AFP.

“The general issue of convictions for sex offenses or sex crimes is a much bigger issue than sport, but in his case we have a person who was convicted, served his sentence and then did everything he could to compete again.”

The International Olympic Committee was satisfied with the Dutch team’s justification for accepting him, as he had been in rehabilitation for a crime committed long ago.

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