Dutch beach volleyball player who was convicted of rape is booed before losing first Olympic match

AP Sports Writer

PARIS (AP) — The Dutch beach volleyball player who served time in prison for rape received a mixture of boos and applause when he was introduced before his opening match at the Paris Olympics. Steven van de Velde was convicted in 2016 of having sex with a 12-year-old girl in England. His record resurfaced last month when he qualified for the Olympics as one of the top two Dutch teams on the international tour. Van de Velde was greeted with a handful of boos when he first took the sand for warmups. The hooting was louder for the more formal prematch introduction. His teammate, Matthew Immers, received nothing but cheers.