New Delhi: Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who previously served time in prison for rape, received a mix of boos and applause when introduced before losing his opening match at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
Van de Velde was convicted of raping a 12-year old girl in England. His past conviction 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 met with only a few boos when he first took to the sand for warmups, but the jeering grew louder during the formal pre-match introduction. His teammate Matthew Immers, along with all other players who have appeared at the Eiffel Tower Stadium so far in the Summer Games, received only cheers.
There were no other signs of protest at the match, which took place on the first sunny day at the iconic Olympic venue at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Security remained the same as it was on Saturday when the competition began. Most of the crowd’s attention was drawn to the entertaining antics of Italy’s Adrian Carambula, whose Skyball serve soared high above the Olympic rings adorning the arena’s roof.
Carambula flexed for the fans as he and Alex Ranghieri rallied from a 20-17 deficit, winning five straight points to take the first set. The Dutch team managed to close out the second set on their first set point, winning 21-19.
In the third set, trailing 13-11, Van de Velde served into the net. The Dutch team closed the gap to 14-13, but Carambula scored the winning point by dinking one past Immers.
Van de Velde’s next match is scheduled for Wednesday against Chile.
The International Volleyball Federation stated that it had no authority to prevent the Netherlands from sending Van de Velde to Paris after he qualified through the usual process. Van de Velde, who is not staying at the athlete’s village and has not been available to the media, described the incident as “the biggest mistake of my life” after securing his Olympic berth.
