Steven van de Velde
Convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde made his Olympic beach volleyball debut to a mixed reaction in Paris, with audible boos.
Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting three counts of rape against a 12-year-old British girl.
He and volleyball partner Matthew Immers are ranked 10th in the world but lost 2-1 to Italy’s Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula, ranked 25th, at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.
The pair were introduced to the crowd together, with cheers as well as some boos as they walked out.
There were boos, along with applause, when Van de Velde was individually announced to the crowd before the match began.
An online petition calling for 29-year-old Van de Velde to be banned from the Olympics had received 90,000 signatures before he played his first match.
His inclusion in the Dutch team has been criticised by women’s and safeguarding groups.
Fans speaking to BBC Sport before the match also felt he should not be competing.
One British fan said: “He’s been open and honest about it and he’s served his time, but personally, I think they could have made a different choice.
“They could have chosen someone else, avoided all the controversy and if it was a British person, I wouldn’t be happy they would be in our team.”
Another said that Van de Velde’s inclusion “does not represent the spirt of the Olympics”, while one German fan, when told by BBC Sport about the story, said: “I am very astonished. He should not be allowed to play.