Steven van de Velde: Child Rapist and Beach Volleyball Player Booed at Paris Olympics

Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, a convicted child rapist, faced significant backlash during his Olympic debut in Paris.

Van de Velde, 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2014.

He served only 12 months of his sentence,. His presence at the Olympics was met with boos from the crowd at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.

Upon arriving with teammate Matthew Immers for their match against Italian duo Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula, Van de Velde received a mixed reaction of cheers and boos. However, during his introduction to the crowd, the boos were more prominent.

Van de Velde had met his victim through Facebook and traveled from Amsterdam to Milton Keynes to commit the crime. He is reportedly not staying in the Olympic Village and has chosen to skip the usual post-match interviews.

The Dutch Olympic Committee has stated that Van de Velde has been successfully rehabilitated and earned his spot in the squad through qualification.

The International Volleyball Federation has indicated it could not prevent his participation as he qualified in the usual manner.

Rape Crisis England & Wales has expressed shock at his inclusion in the Games. Van de Velde left the arena alone after Italy’s victory over the Netherlands in a close three-set match (22-20, 19-21, 15-13).