PARIS >> There were a few discreet boos, and mixed feelings amongst the crowd, as Netherlands beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, a convicted rapist, made his Paris 2024 debut for a game in bright sunshine at the feet of the Eiffel Tower on Sunday.

Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in Britain in 2016 following the rape of a 12-year-old girl two years earlier when he was 19.

After serving part of his sentence there, he was transferred to the Netherlands and has been competing in beach volleyball again since 2017.

Among the spectators, Melissa Gautier, a 23-year-old health worker, said she thought he should not be there.

“Being an athlete shouldn’t give you a free pass,” she said.

Andrea Syslos, a 47-year-old lawyer from Italy, did not know about the case, but when told about it said: “It’s not a good thing. Sporting justice should be harsher than civil justice.

“Maybe he shouldn’t still be in prison but it’s not normal that he is playing in the Olympics where he should be an example for other people,” he said.

But 46-year-old German architect Alexandra Bertram, who was also watching the match, said she did not mind van de Velde being there.

“I read about this and I think everyone deserves a second chance. He’s (legally) allowed to be here and so he can be here.”

Van de Velde was playing with Netherlands teammate Matthew Immers against Italy’s Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Ignacio Carambula Raurich in a men’s Pool B match at the Paris Games.

IOC SATISFIED

The International Olympic Committee said on Saturday it was satisfied with explanations given by the Netherlands Olympic team regarding the participation of Van de Velde.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said the committee was not totally comfortable with the situation but that “a crime occurred 10 years ago, a great deal of rehabilitation has taken place and strong safeguarding is in place.”

The Dutch team have taken steps to mitigate the impact of Van de Velde’s participation by moving him to alternative accommodation in Paris and not the athletes’ village. There has also been a ban imposed on him talking to the media.

Alienor Laurent, co-president of French feminist collective “Osez le feminisme!” (Dare to be Feminist), mobilised against Van de Velde’s participation, was outraged that he was allowed to compete in the Olympics.

“What is the message to victims? That sporting talent has more value than their dignity,” she told Reuters last week.