28 July 2024 , 16:19
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Steven van de Velde, the beach volleyball player who served time in prison for rape, broke Olympic protocol following Netherlands’ defeat against Italy.
The 29-year-old was convicted in 2016 of having sex with a 12-year-old girl in England.
His record resurfaced last month when he qualified for the Olympics as one of the top two Dutch teams on the international tour.
Van de Velde was greeted by boos when he first took the stand for warmups, but the hooting was louder for the more formal pre-match introduction.
After squaring the match at one set all, the Dutch pair appeared to lose their composure in the decider which they lost 15-13.
The International Volleyball Federation said it was powerless to stop the Netherlands from sending Van de Velde to Paris after he qualified in the covnentional way.
Van de Velde, who is not staying at the athlete’s village, has not been available to the media, which is a breach of Olympic protocol.
The international Olympic Committee insist they have no control over the matter which reared its head again on Sunday after Van de Velde was whisked away following defeat and excused from taking part in traditional media duties.
An IOC spokesperson said of the controversy caused by a convicted child rapist competing at the Games that there is ‘extra safeguarding in place’.
Speaking after their opening defeat, meanwhile, Dutch press attache John van Vliet made an astonishing claim, saying: ‘We are protecting a convicted child rapist, yes.
‘We are very much aware that if we bring Steven out here, it won’t be about sport or his performance. There was a time before this, at least 100 tournaments in beach volleyball, where this never came up.
‘He never had to do anything about it. So, we wanted to create the environment we are used to and not make it extra-special on a stage which is even bigger for these players.’
Van de Velde’s participation in the Games caused concern and consternation in the build-up to the start of the world’s biggest sporting jamboree.
In an email exchange seen by The Guardian, a ‘concerned British man’ – who has lived in the Netherlands for over a decade – took it upon himself to voice his sense of unease to the Dutch Olympic committee, branding Van de Velde’s inclusion a ‘stain on the Dutch national side’.
In response, a spokesperson for the Dutch Olympic committee stated: ‘Steven is NOT a peadophile [sic]; you really don’t think that de Dutch NOC would send someone to Paris who IS a real risk? No, he isn’t a risk.’
Further along in the email chain, the concerned Brit was encouraged not to ‘believe all the headlines’ he read in the news.
A separate message from the Dutch official read: ‘We are taking measures to make sure that everybody can focus on sports, on the Games.
‘Not the story of the past of this beach volleyballer, who has played on all the international tournaments since 2018.’