Stephen van der Felder found guilty of raping 12-year-old British girl in 2016 IOC: ‘Nothing can stop qualified athletes’
A Dutch beach volleyball player with a history of sexually assaulting a minor was booed by the crowd and eventually lost the match and was eliminated.
On the 4th (local time), the British Daily Mail reported that Stephen van der Velder (29), who has a history of sexual crimes, and his partner Matthew Immers (Netherlands) lost to Brazil in the round of 16 of beach volleyball and were eliminated from the Paris Olympics. At match point, Brazil’s Evandro spiked the ball, causing the Netherlands to lose 2-0 (21-16, 21-16).
Stephen van der Velder was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016, sentenced to 4 years in prison, extradited to the Netherlands, and later released after serving 13 months in prison.
Because of this, Van der Felder waved to the crowd before and after the match, but the Dutch crowd booed him. According to media reports, the crowd booed him every time he served.
Van der Felder reportedly avoided the area to avoid reporters during the Olympics.
After Van der Felder was convicted, many thought his career was over, but he eventually competed in the Paris Olympics.
Victims’ advocates and lawmakers called for him to be banned from the Olympics, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said there was no way to stop the Netherlands from sending an athlete who had qualified through the normal process to the Olympics. According to the Daily Mail, the Dutch Olympic selection committee also supported Van der Felder’s participation in the team and explained that he met all the criteria required to compete in the Olympics. His partner Immers said after the match, “We fought and enjoyed every moment,” and “We came ninth in our first Olympics. I’m really proud.” He also expressed his intention to team up with Van der Felder at the European Championships in the Netherlands next week and the Dutch Championships thereafter. There was controversy at the 2024 Paris Olympics when Australian triathlete coach Brett Sutton, who has a criminal record for sexually assaulting minors, participated as a coach for the Chinese national team. 바카라사이트