- The 29-year-old faced boos from the crowd at the Eiffel Tower Stadium on Friday
- Steven van de Velde is a convicted child rapist with a history of offenses against a 12-year-old
- His role in the Paris Olympics volleyball event has drawn significant backlash
Steven van de Velde, a convicted child rapist, faced a hostile audience once more as he was met with loud boos while competing in the Netherlands’ volleyball match against Norway.
The 29-year-old has a criminal record stemming from the rape of a 12-year-old girl, yet he was controversially included in the Netherlands’ Olympic volleyball team.
Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison after he traveled from the Netherlands to the UK to meet the girl in August 2014, having communicated with her on Facebook.
At the time, he was 19 and aware of her age when he pled guilty to three counts of rape and received a four-year prison sentence in March 2016. He was released in 2017 after serving just a year of his sentence.
On Friday, he was met with a cold reception as he entered the court at the Eiffel Tower Stadium during the Olympics in Paris for their third volleyball match.
Steven van de Velde faced a hostile reception during the Netherlands volleyball match
Convicted sex offender Steven van de Velde previously raped a 12-year-old girl
Van de Velde was booed by fans at the Eiffel Tower Stadium
Upon taking the court, Van de Velde was alongside team-mate Matthew Immers and was met with a chorus of boos and whistles when his name was announced to fans present.
The crowd expressed their displeasure, particularly during Van de Velde’s serves in the 2-0 defeat against the defending Olympic champions, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum.
Nevertheless, despite the loss, Van de Velde’s Olympic journey continues as they progressed to the last-16 round of the competition after winning just one of their three matches.
A judge remarked earlier that Van de Velde’s promising career had been ruined by his heinous conviction. Despite public outrage, he earned a spot on the team for the Paris Games.
Dutch Olympic selectors supported Van de Velde’s Olympic inclusion
However, he is not residing with other athletes in the Olympic village, following concerns raised by the British Olympic Association regarding the situation with the IOC.
Dutch Olympic officials have backed Van de Velde’s inclusion in their team, explaining that he met all necessary criteria for participation in the Games held in the French capital.
‘Since 2018, Steven van de Velde has been competing in international beach volleyball tournaments, following a rigorous and professionally guided path,’ a spokesperson informed Mail Sport.
‘Additionally, Steven van de Velde has satisfied all qualification criteria for the Olympic Games, thus he was included in the group of athletes formally submitted to the NOC by Dutch national federations on July 4, who then assume responsibility for them during the Olympic Games.’
