Paris 2024: Boos greet convicted rapist at his first game

Paris: Steven van de Velde, the Dutch beach volleyball player who was convicted of raping a child a decade ago, was booed by the crowd during the Netherlands’ first game at the Paris Olympics, CNN reported.

Footage posted on social media showed boos and jeers ringing out as van de Velde and his partner Matthew Immers entered the arena at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

Eventually the duo was defeated by the Italian duo Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula.

Van de Velde’s participation in these Olympics has attracted a lot of attention because in 2014 he was sentenced to four years in prison for the rape of a 12-year-old girl, CNN reported, citing British media. He was released in 2017 and is now 29 years old.

Despite heavy criticism directed at the Dutch National Olympic Committee over his nomination, the International Olympic Committee defended the decision as “correct” and said that van de Velde had undergone “a comprehensive rehabilitation”.

Immers defended his teammate from criticism and told reporters: “The past is the past. He was punished and is now really nice. For me this is an example of how he has grown and learned a lot from it.”

Ju’Riese Colon, CEO of the U.S.-based Center for SafeSport, said in June that the organization was “deeply concerned that someone convicted of sexually abusing minors could participate in the 2024 Olympic Games.”

“The fact that teams from all over the world are meeting in Paris, including many underage athletes, sends a dangerous message that medals and money mean more than their safety. Participation in sport is a privilege, not a right,” she added.

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said she was “shocked” by Van de Velde’s participation.

“As a woman, I am shocked to think that someone who raped a little girl is taking part in the Olympic Games… One must not forget that the decision to select an athlete is made by the NOC and is not the responsibility of the French state,” CNN quoted her as saying.