Categories crunchfx

Americans are 1-2 in 100-meter butterfly; U.S. men’s basketball team beats Serbia in first match

Americans are 1-2 in 100-meter butterfly; U.S. men’s basketball team beats Serbia in first match

Convicted rapist and Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde made his Paris 2024 debut today, drawing boos and mixed emotions from the crowd.

However, his team said van de Velde had no regrets about participating in the Olympics, saying “the past is the past” and the issue should not be brought up at the Games.

Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in the UK in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old girl two years earlier when he was 19.

He served 13 months in prison, one year in England and one month in the Netherlands, before being released after his crime was reclassified under Dutch law as a lesser crime, such as “acting immorally”, and his sentence was commuted.

Van de Velde, now 29, has been competing in beach volleyball again since 2017.

He was booed several times during today’s match, but other members of the crowd applauded as well.

Van de Velde’s teammate Matthew Immers said he was dismissive of criticism about his participation in the Olympics.

“What happened in the past is in the past. He served his time and now he’s really gentle. To me, that’s an example of (him) growing up and learning a lot from this,” Immers told reporters.

“This is an issue that should not be brought up through sport in a tournament that he has qualified for,” said Dutch national team press officer John van Vliet.

“Sex crimes in general or crimes related to sex are a much bigger problem than sports, but in his case you have a person who has been convicted, served his sentence and has done everything he can to be competitive again.”

In the men’s Billiards B match, Van de Velde and Immers lost to Italy’s Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Ignacio Carambula Raurich 22-20, 19-21, 15-13.

The International Olympic Committee said yesterday that it was pleased with the statements made by the Dutch Olympic team regarding van de Velde’s participation.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the committee was not entirely satisfied with the situation but that “a crime was committed 10 years ago, a major rehabilitation process took place and strong security measures were put in place.”

The Dutch national team took steps to reduce the impact of van de Velde’s participation by moving him to alternative accommodation in Paris rather than the athletes’ village and asking him not to speak to the media.

The case has resonated in France, as well as in Britain and the United States, where some women’s rights groups have campaigned against her participation in the Games.

“What is the message to the victims? That sporting talent is more valuable than dignity,” Alienor Laurent, co-chair of the French feminist collective Osez le feminisme! (Dare to be a feminist), told Reuters last week.

“And what is the message to attackers? Attacking (a young girl) will have no impact on your life or career; you will be celebrated and you may win medals.”