PARIS, France — Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who served time in prison after he was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl, won his second match at the Paris Olympics and received an even harsher reaction from the crowd on Wednesday than for his first match.
Three days after they made their Olympic debut to some boos — mixed in with cheers from the orange-clad Dutch fans — Van de Velde and Matthew Immers were heartily jeered after a 21-19, 21-16 victory over Chile. There were more boos when Van de Velde played most any shot.
“I was disappointed with the crowd, for sure,” Immers said. “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.”
Van de Velde, 29, served 13 months in prison after his 2016 conviction for raping a 12-year-old girl in England. Although victims advocates, lawmakers and fans have called for him to be banned from the Olympics, the IOC has said it was powerless to stop the Netherlands from sending an athlete who qualified in the usual way.
Van de Velde again did not walk through the mix zone to address the media on Wednesday, something typically required of every athlete. When Immers arrived, Dutch press attache Hans Nieuwenburg told reporters, “Sport questions only.”
“He said everything on (Sunday),” when the two lost their opening match to Italy, Nieuwenburg said.
Immers was asked about the reception and said the two spoke on the court and recognized they would need to be extra supportive of each other. Asked if he understood why they received that reception, he said, “I don’t want to talk about that, if it’s OK.”
“I think what’s in the past is in the past, and we’re here to go for a good result together,” Immers said, noting that there were Dutch fans cheering for them. “And I want to say there was also a lot of people supporting us, and we’re doing it for them. I really like this sport and I still love the crowd and the people who support us.”
