Convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde has been booed by crowds when making his Olympic beach volleyball debut in Paris.
In 2016, Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting three counts of rape against a 12-year-old British girl.He had flown to England to meet her in 2014, with full knowledge of her age, after connecting with her via Facebook. At the Eiffel Tower Stadium he played alongside his partner Matthew Immers, with the duo ranked 10th in the world.However, they lost 2-1 to Italy's Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula, who are ranked 25th.
But the International Olympic Committee said the selection of athletes for the Games was the responsibility of individual committees. Van de Velde returned to playing in 2017, and the Dutch Olympic Committee said he had met guidelines set by the Dutch Volleyball Federation for athletes to continue competing following a conviction. The NOC said Van de Velde had returned to the playing arena "following a specialist treatment programme".
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