Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who served prison time for raping a 12-year-old girl, won his second match at the Paris Olympics but faced loud boos every time he served.
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Van de Velde and his partner Matthew Immers, ranked #10 in the world, were met with noisy heckling during their 21-19, 21-16 victory over Chile. Despite some support from Dutch fans, the overall response was more hostile than they experienced in their first game on Monday, a close loss to Italy.
Backstory
Van de Velde, 29, served 13 months in prison following his 2016 conviction for three counts of raping a 12-year-old schoolgirl he met on Facebook when he was 19.
Player Reaction
“I was disappointed with the crowd, for sure,” van de Velde’s partner Immers told the Associated Press. “I cannot do anything about his past anymore. I’m here to play with him… So, yeah, I’m disappointed with it. But I think mentally we’re really strong, and I’m really strong to get through this, together. And we’re going to do that.”
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Van de Velde avoided media interviews post-match. His team is currently tied for second place in Pool B and its next game is against Norway on Friday.
