The Dutch beach volleyball duo of Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers warmed up on a court just outside the main court before the start of the match at 8pm on Friday evening. Just next to it, Anders Mol and Christian Sørum warmed up. The audience could follow the warm-up up close, and while news was in place, a spectator tactfully shouted: “Estupador, estupador”, which means 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 When Steven van de Velde was introduced just before the start of the match, there was loud booing and whistling in the audience. The same continues every time the Dutchman serves. The booing is connected to something that happened exactly ten years ago. The match between Norway and the Netherlands is now underway. Norway has had a very good start and leads clearly in the first set. Convicted of rape 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 and raped her. When the case ended up in court two years later, according to the BBC, van de Velde admitted the rapes and 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. – It is a terrible story, and we understand that there are reactions around his participation when it is so brutal, Anders Mol told news. Anders Mol and Christian Sørum are reigning Olympic champions and have won their first two matches so far in the Olympics. Photo: NTB Norway is further 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. 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. The team-mate has also had to answer questions relating to the team-mate’s past. Before the match, it is already clear that the Norwegian pair have progressed from the group stage. But with victory in their pool B, they will be able to get an easier opponent in the round of 16. It may be important if the Norwegian duo is to be able to take Olympic gold as they did in the Tokyo Olympics. For the Dutch pair, however, more is at stake in the match against Norway. They were last in the pool before the match against Norway, but can progress with a win over Norway. Published 02.08.2024, at 19.59 Updated 02.08.2024, at 20.15
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Greeted by piping at the Olympic arena – Olympic Paris 2024
