- Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde is a convicted child rapist
- He was greeted with boos at his Olympic debut in Paris on Sunday.
- Van de Velde, 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016
An artist set up his canvas and began an oil painting as the doors to this arena opened. It is the most picture-perfect venue of these games, an artificial beach in the heart of Paris, beautifully framed at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
It was glowing as the sun finally broke through on Sunday morning. There was party music, breakfast croissants and a crowd arriving for their first taste of Olympic volleyball. It had all the makings of a joyous occasion, but here was the dark 6ft 6in shadow of Holland’s child molester.
was booed as he walked onto the pitch. He won the toss, threw a handful of sand in the air and chose ends with his teammate Matthew Immers. For the record, they lost, beaten by the Italian duo who were ranked 25th, which felt like the tiniest bit of sporting justice.
There were no dignitaries here. Frankly, they wouldn’t want to go near the Dutchman. The sooner he is knocked out of these games and sent home, the better. There is already a petition for his removal.
He was found guilty of three charges of raping a 12-year-old girl in Buckinghamshire in 2014, but is still taking part because he has been released early from prison and the Dutch selection committee has ruled he has paid his dues.
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 waned as the match progressed, the crowd caught up in the battle for set points. Yet this is a man whose crimes are the most sickening of any match, including alleged doping and animal abuse. If Charlotte Dujardin has been sent home for posing a risk to horses, how can a man who flew from Amsterdam to the UK to rape a child be called a worthy character?
There are 10,714 competitors in these games and Van de Velde is the only one who has special dispensation not to speak to the media. John van Vliet, the team’s press officer, was told in no uncertain terms that protecting a child molester is not a good idea. His response? ‘We are protecting a convicted child molester to play his sport to the best of his ability, in a tournament that he qualified for. We are very aware that if we bring Steven here, it will not be about his sport and his achievements.’
And what is the message he is sending to victims of rape or sexual abuse who are shocked by his selection? “I have no message.”
The Dutch showed an alarming lack of remorse. In a swampy area around the corner from the courts, their own journalists confronted the foreign media for making too big a ‘thing’ of it.
It was a car crash of a press conference. When Immers arrived, three French bodyguards showed up because they feared for his safety. Immers has committed no crime, but his name is clouded by association, having agreed to a double game in the pursuit of success at the top of the podium. He explained that the pair “don’t sleep together” and that Van de Velde stays away from the Olympic Village.
“I’m disappointed with all the attention,” the 23-year-old said. “I’ve known the guy for three or four years and we’ve played all the tournaments.
‘We are disappointed that it is so big, because we fought very hard for two years to qualify for this. We didn’t like it, but we talked about it and we said: “Okay, we are going to enjoy the Olympics, we are going to do everything together as much as possible, with some rules”.’
All athletes have to sign a statement about their role model status for these games. Immers seems to think his partner meets the requirements. ‘What’s in the past is in the past. Steven is a very good example of how he is now. He’s had his punishment and now he’s very nice. For me that’s a great example that you learn a lot from it and grow. What happened in the past is of course not good, but at the moment we’re trying to enjoy it and move on to the next round.’
So they go out to enjoy the party. Consider the victim, now in her twenties, who is believed to have tried to overdose. The dark side of these games is plain for all to see, just beneath the magnificent glory of France’s most iconic landmark.
