The Norwegian beach volleyball duo Anders Mol and Christian Sørum won the match against the Netherlands and are winners of group B. – It’s very nice. It was heavy today, and we had slightly heavier bodies than the previous games. Nevertheless, we manage to win 2-0, says Anders Mol after the end of the match. The victory came after Norway had the audience behind them all the way in the arena in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Every time Dutch Steven van de Velde would serve, a violent pipe concert started that filled the arena. There is room for 14,000 spectators, so the booing was massive. UNPOPULAR: Steven van de Velde throws himself into the sand during the match against Norway. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB The Norwegians also noticed this well. – You get pulled a little out of focus. It’s impossible not to notice it when it’s that loud. You are a little taken out of focus when there is so much focus on him. It’s a bit strange to play against, says Mol. Convicted of rape Already during the warm-up, the Dutch Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers noticed that the audience was against them. A bystander shouted: “Estupador, estupador”, meaning rapist. In 2016, Steven van de Velde was convicted of the rape of a girl who was then 12 years old. That makes him one of the Olympics’ most controversial athletes. Photo: Reuters Buingen is linked to something that happened exactly ten years ago. On 2 August 2014, when van de Velde was 19 years old, he left the Netherlands for England to visit a twelve-year-old British girl he had come into contact with through Facebook. During the visit, he served her alcohol. Then the episode happened that caused him to end up in court two years later. According to the BBC, van de Velde then admitted to having raped the girl. He was sentenced to four years in prison. After one year behind bars, however, he was released, and since then he has continued his commitment to beach volleyball. The old rape conviction became public knowledge just over a month before the Olympics started. Then it also turned out that the Netherlands would meet Norway in the group stage. Anders Mol and Christian Sørum are reigning Olympic champions and have won their first two matches so far in the Olympics. Photo: NTB Norway’s coach Kåre Mol finds it difficult to deal with the massive booing from the audience. – It is mass bullying. We treat him like a volleyball player. Then the legal system gets to take him for what he doesn’t do very well otherwise in life, says the Norwegian coach Kåre Mol to news after the match. – Disappointingly, the Dutch have been met with a pipe concert before both of their two games so far in the Olympics. However, it is not only the audience in the arena that makes it extra demanding for the Dutch. Norway coach Kåre Mol has little to spare for the massive booing against the Dutchman. Photo: NTB van de Velde does not live in the Olympic village like the other athletes. Thus, it is mostly only during training and matches that he meets teammate Matthew Immers. After the match, only Immers came to the interview zone. He was happy despite the loss, as the Netherlands are also through from the group despite the loss. However, he has nothing to spare for booing. – I think it is disappointing that it happens. But we are prepared for it and know how to handle it. We hug each other a lot on the pitch and talk about how we’re feeling. We do that every time we play. There is nothing else, but it is disappointing, says Immers to news. – Haven’t come across that kind of booing, Norway convinced in the first set against the Netherlands and won clearly. In the second set it was much more even, and Norway had to fight hard to win this set as well. Coach Kåre Mol thinks the Norwegians looked a bit run down. – I saw them working very hard on themselves. I think they lacked a little juice, but they find a way to win, Kåre Mol said after the match. MØRE MENN: Anders Mol (right) and Christian Sørum had to fill up on bananas and soft drinks towards the end of the match. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB Christian Sørum has been part of the sand volleyball circus for many years, and among other things won Olympic gold. But today’s match was still a new experience. – I have never come across such booing. I have come across someone who has been booed a bit if he has been dishonest in a ball exchange, but this was extreme on every serve. You heard it, says Sørum. Norway’s opponent in the Olympic round of 16 will be ready on Saturday. The match will be played on Sunday 4 August or Monday 5 August. Published 02.08.2024, at 19.59 Updated 02.08.2024, at 23.24
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Anders Mol and Christian Sørum’s opponent met by boos at the Olympic arena – Olympic Paris 2024
