Child Sexual Offender as National Representative? ... Booing Poured on Dutch Athlete [Paris Olympics]

Beach Volleyball Player Steven Van de Velde
Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Assault Charges

A Dutch beach volleyball player convicted of sexually assaulting a child faced boos from the crowd while competing in the Paris Olympic Games.

According to the British daily The Guardian and others on the 29th (local time), the Netherlands team, including national beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde (29), lost 1-2 to Italy the previous day.

Criticism from the audience toward van de Velde continued from the warm-up before the match. Especially when he was introduced, boos erupted from the stands. The Guardian reported, "As van de Velde was introduced, boos erupted from the stands, but when his Dutch teammate Matthew Immers appeared, the boos turned into cheers."

It added, "It is rare for an athlete to be booed at the Olympics," and "This was far from the scene where dancers danced to Mexican music and the crowd cheered before the match."

Steven Van der Velde. [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Prior to the Paris Olympics, van de Velde's eligibility to compete was controversial. He was prosecuted by a British court for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old British girl he met through social media in 2014. Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison by a British court in 2016, served one year, and was then extradited to his home country, the Netherlands, under a criminal extradition treaty, being released in 2017. He was reportedly selected for the Dutch beach volleyball national team last month.

Van de Velde reportedly did not respond to interviews with the press immediately after the match. However, the Netherlands Olympic Committee (NOC) stated, "Van de Velde is not a pedophile," adding, "Do you think the NOC would send someone truly dangerous to Paris? No, he is not dangerous." The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said, "The decision on individual athletes' participation is up to the NOC," and "The crime occurred 10 years ago, and strong measures have been put in place to prevent recurrence."

However, many remain dissatisfied with van de Velde's participation in the Paris Olympics. BBC sports reporter Laura Scott, who was at the venue, tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), "There were boos from the stands when van de Velde was introduced. Many people I interviewed said seeing him at the games goes against Olympic values," adding, "However, some Dutch fans said they would support him."

Meanwhile, the Dutch beach volleyball team is scheduled to play against the Chilean team on the 31st.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.