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Dutch Volleyball Player and Convicted Rapist Booed at Paris Olympics
Steven van de Velde, a convicted child rapist and Dutch volleyball player, is representing the Netherlands at the 2024 Paris Olympics
29-year-old Van de Velde, who was convicted for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in 2016, drew jeers and scattered applause as he walked into the Eiffel Tower Stadium for his first beach volleyball match on Sunday, July 28. The Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC) said van de Velde had undergone a “specialist treatment program” and met the requirements to resume competition after a conviction, according to BBC Sport. Van de Velde’s inclusion in the Netherlands’ Olympic team caused some backlash leading up to the Paris Games, with a Change.org petition calling for his disqualification garnering over 100,000 signatures.
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