Paris (AFP) – Fans booed a Dutch beach volleyball player convicted of raping an underaged girl as he played his first match at the Paris Olympics, where his controversial selection has put the sport in the spotlight.
Steven van der Velde, now aged 29, was convicted in 2016 of raping an underage girl and sentenced to four years in prison.
He walked onto centre court Sunday with teammate Matthew Immers on Sunday morning to cheers and applause, with many orange-clad Dutch fans standing to clap the pair.
When he was introduced individually over the loudspeaker, however, there was a loud chorus of boos from the crowd.
There were also sporadic boos as he served throughout the game.
The player has won the backing of his country’s national Olympic committee, and exchanged a warm hug with teammate Immers before the start of the game.
But his selection has drawn outrage among women’s and sports safety groups.
Officials said the player would be separated from his teammates, not stay in the athletes’ village, and forbidden from speaking to media.
His teammate Immers told reporters after the match that they had been “disappointed” by all the focus on van der Velde’s past conviction, particularly after a “hard fight” to qualify.
“I know the guy for two, three years together and we played every tournament,” he said. “What is in the past is in the past, and he had his punishment.
“For me that’s a big example that you grew, you learned a lot from it. What happened in the past… it’s not good of course. But right now we are trying to enjoy and go to the next round.”
Ju’Riese Colon, chief executive of the US-based Center for SafeSport, said she was “deeply concerned that anyone convicted of sexually assaulting a minor could participate” in the Olympics.
“With teams from around the world convening in Paris, many of which include minor athletes, this sends a dangerous message that medals and money mean more than their safety,” she said.
Pressure
Van der Velde served part of his sentence in Britain and was then transferred to the Netherlands, where he was eventually released and took up volleyball again in 2017.
But his selection to the national team for the Paris Games put the popular sport under pressure.
“There is a significant difference between receiving a second chance and being selected to represent your country at the Olympics,” said Sara Alaoui, founder of The Safe Space Club, a Netherlands-based NGO.
“There is a stark contrast between resuming one’s work and becoming an internationally celebrated figure whose past transgressions are conveniently forgotten and downplayed.”
She told AFP she was “deeply disappointed” with the Dutch volleyball association.
Van der Velde and Immers just lost out to Italian pair Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Ignacio Carambula Raurich on Sunday morning, after a tightly-fought match which ran to three sets before the Italians stole the decider 15-13.
The Dutch pair will next play on Wednesday against Chile.
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