- Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde is a convicted child rapist
- He was greeted with some boos at his Olympic debut in Paris on Sunday.
- Van de Velde, 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016.
An artist prepared his canvas and set to work on an oil painting as the gates of this stadium opened. It is the most perfect place to take photographs of these games, an artificial beach in the heart of Paris, exquisitely framed at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
The sun finally came out on Sunday morning. There was party music, croissants for breakfast and a crowd that came to try Olympic volleyball for the first time. It had all the makings of a joyous occasion, but there was the dark shadow of the 1.98-metre-tall Dutch child rapist.
He was booed as he entered the court. He won the toss, threw a handful of sand into the air and played with teammate Matthew Immers. For the record, they lost, beaten by the 25th-ranked Italian pair, which seemed a small grain of sporting justice.
There were no dignitaries here. Frankly, they wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the Dutchman. The sooner he is removed from these games and sent home, the better. There is already a petition for his dismissal.
He was found guilty of three counts of raping a 12-year-old girl in Buckinghamshire in 2014 but is competing because he was granted early release from prison and was deemed by Dutch selectors to have paid his debts.
Dutch volleyball player Steven van de Velde, a convicted child rapist, was greeted with boos
Sport has the power to make people forget and the boos died down as the match progressed and the crowd joined in the battle for set points. But this is a man whose crimes are the most appalling of any in this competition, including alleged dopers and animal abusers. If Charlotte Dujardin has been sent home for being a risk to horses, then how on earth can a man who flew from Amsterdam to the UK to rape a child be considered worthy of being sent home?
There are 10,714 competitors taking part in these Games and Van de Velde is the only one who has special permission not to speak to the media. John van Vliet, the team’s press officer, was told bluntly that it is not a good image to protect a child rapist. His response? “We are protecting a convicted child rapist so that he can play his sport as well as possible, in a tournament for which he has qualified. We are very aware that if we bring Steven here, it will not be for his sport or his performance.”
And what message does this send to victims of rape or sexual abuse who feel alarmed by your choice? “I have no message.”
The Dutch showed an alarming lack of remorse. In a soggy venue around the corner from the courts, their own journalists confronted foreign media for exaggerating the situation.
It was a disastrous press conference. When Immers arrived, three French bodyguards turned up because they feared for her safety. Immers has not committed any crime, but her name is tarnished by the association, as she agreed to work together in pursuit of success in high performance. She explained that the couple “do not sleep together” and that Van de Velde is staying away from the Olympic Village.
“I’m disappointed with all the attention he’s received,” said the 23-year-old. “I’ve known the guy for three or four years and we’ve played all the tournaments.”
“We’re disappointed that it’s such a big deal because we fought so hard for two years to qualify for this. We didn’t like it, but we talked about it and said, ‘OK, we’re going to enjoy the Olympics, we’re going to do everything together as much as possible, with some rules.'”
All athletes must sign a declaration about their role model status before these Games. Immers seems to think that his teammate fits that bill: “What’s in the past is in the past. Steven is a great example of what he is like now. He had his punishment and is now very nice. For me, he is a great example from whom you grow and learn a lot. What happened in the past is not good, of course, but now we are trying to enjoy it and move on to the next round.”
So off they go to enjoy the party. Let us spare a thought for the victim, now 20 years old, who is believed to have tried to take an overdose. The dark side of these games is obvious to all, and lies just beneath the magnificent glory of France’s most iconic monument.