Paris Olympics: Crowd cheers as convicted felon Steven van de Velde is eliminated

Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was convicted in 2016 of assaulting a 12-year-old British girl, was knocked out of the Paris Olympics on Sunday night after he and his partner, Matthew Immers, were defeated by Brazil in straight sets.

In his fourth and final match, Van de Velde faced constant boos and whistles every time he served. 

On match point, while Van de Velde was serving and the crowd jeered, Evandro scored the decisive spike, securing a 21-16, 21-16 victory and ending the Dutch team's run at the Summer Games.

The teammates embraced, exchanged the standard post-match handshake with their opponents and officials, and then sat on the bench for a few minutes with their arms around each other. 

Van de Velde left the court waving at the crowd, searching for the Dutch fans in orange who were applauding amidst the boos from others.

“It was an emotional roller coaster. I see it that way,” Immers said. 

“We fought. We enjoyed every moment. So I’m really proud of that. It was the coolest stadium I ever played in. ... I’m sad that we couldn’t show our level. But everything around it, I enjoyed it.”

As he had done throughout the tournament, Van de Velde did not pass through the mixed zone to speak with reporters, a usual requirement for all Olympians. Immers mentioned that his partner needed mental rest.

“If I can speak for him, after the match we lost, we were disappointed,” Immers said. 

“But we said to each other: ‘Look what we did together. Look how hard we fought with all the attention.’ We stayed together. We cried together off the field and said, ‘OK, let’s just enjoy this moment.’ And we did that. So I’m happy we did it that way.”

Van de Velde, 29, served 13 months in prison following his 2016 assault conviction in England. 

Despite calls from victims' advocates, lawmakers, and fans to bar him from the Olympics, the IOC has stated it cannot prevent the Netherlands from sending a qualified athlete.