Steven van de Velde, the Dutch Olympian convicted in 2016 of raping a 12-year-old girl in England, has advanced to the knockout round of the beach volleyball tournament. This comes despite losing his final pool play match on Friday. Van de Velde and his partner, Matthew Immers, will now compete in the round of 16 on Sunday or Monday. An opponent has yet to be determined.
Van de Velde, 29, served 13 months in prison following his 2016 conviction. Despite calls from victims advocates, lawmakers, and fans for his ban from the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stated it is powerless to stop the Netherlands from sending a qualified athlete.
Van de Velde, once again, did not address the media after the match, a customary requirement for Olympians. However, Immers commented on his partner’s mood, stating that they were making the best of the situation and were happy with their performance. “We’re making the best of it, and we’re really happy at the end of the match. So we said to each other, ‘OK, did we enjoy this moment?’” Immers said. “We knew before the match we gave everything and we said to each other, ‘Yes, we gave everything.’ And that’s what we want to do every game, give everything and play our game.”
The Dutch team lost in straight sets to Tokyo gold medalists Anders Mol and Christian Sorum on Friday. Fans again booed and whistled at Van de Velde with each serve. Norway’s 21-16, 21-19 victory was sealed when Van de Velde served long on match point, drawing further jeers from the crowd. Despite the loss, the Dutch finished with a 1-2 record in pool play, securing second place due to a higher ratio of sets won and lost. “We lost the match, but we’re second in the pool,” Immers said. “It was against the Norwegians, so we lost close. But overall, I think we played really good.”
In other action at Eiffel Tower Stadium on Friday, American duo Chase Budinger and Miles Evans lost to Spain in straight sets, finishing third in their group. They will need to win a “lucky loser” match to advance to the round of 16. The U.S. women’s team of Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes triumphed over Germany in straight sets, securing their pool with a 3-0 record. The other U.S. women’s team, Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth, also finished 3-0, advancing to the knockout round as pool winners.
