Convicted rapist Van de Velde out of Olympics after loss

Convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde’s Olympics came to an end after the Netherlands were defeated in their beach volleyball round of 16 match against Brazil on Sunday.

Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting to three charges of rape against a 12-year-old British girl.

The 29-year-old, who has been booed by crowds throughout the Games, played alongside volleyball partner Matthew Immers.

They were outclassed by their opponents, the Brazilian pair of Evandro Oliveira and Arthur Lanci, who completed a convincing 2-0 victory at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.

From Velde and Immers reached the round of 16 despite losing two of their three group games and never being in contention on Sunday night.

For Evandro and Arthur it was their fourth victory without losing a set.

Van de Velde’s inclusion in the Dutch team had been criticised by women’s and protection groups.

He will not be staying at the Olympic Village and will not make any media appearances after the match.

In previous interviews with Dutch media, Van de Velde said: “I can’t take it back, so I’ll have to take the consequences. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”