Boos at Dutch rapist’s debut at Olympic beach volleyball

PARIS >> There were a few discreet boos and mixed emotions in the crowd as Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, a convicted rapist, made his Paris 2024 debut in bright sunshine at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on Sunday.

Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in the UK in 2016 after raping a 12-year-old girl two years earlier, when he was 19.

After serving part of his sentence there, he was transferred to the Netherlands and has been playing beach volleyball again since 2017.

Among those watching was Melissa Gautier, a 23-year-old health worker, who said she thought he shouldn’t be there.

“As an athlete, you shouldn’t have a free pass,” she said.

Andrea Syslos, a 47-year-old lawyer from Italy, knew nothing about the case but when he learned about it, said: “This is not a good thing. Sports justice should be tougher than civil justice.”

“Maybe he should no longer be in prison, but it is not normal for him to play in the Olympics, where he should be a role model for others,” he said.

But 46-year-old German architect Alexandra Bertram, who also watched the game, said she did not mind that van de Velde was there.

“I read about it and I think everyone deserves a second chance. He is (legally) allowed to be here and that’s why he can be here.”

Van de Velde played at the Paris Games with his Dutch teammate Matthew Immers in a men’s Group B match against the Italians Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Ignacio Carambula Raurich.

IOC SATISFIED

The International Olympic Committee said on Saturday that it was satisfied with the statements made by the Dutch Olympic team regarding Van de Velde’s participation.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the committee was not entirely happy with the situation, but “a crime was committed ten years ago, there has been a comprehensive rehabilitation and strict security measures are in place.”

The Dutch team has taken steps to mitigate the impact of Van de Velde’s participation by moving him to alternative accommodation in Paris rather than the athletes’ village, and he has been banned from speaking to the media.

Alienor Laurent, co-chair of the French feminist collective “Osez le feminisme!” (Dare to be a feminist), mobilized against Van de Velde’s participation and was outraged that he was allowed to take part in the Olympic Games.

“What is the message to the victims? That sporting talent is worth more than their dignity,” she told Reuters last week.