Steven van de Velde: Convicted child rapist booed on Olympic debut in beach volleyball

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.”

However, one Dutch fan said it was “right” Van de Velde was competing, adding: “He’s been punished and now it’s over and he can continue with his life like anyone else.”

His playing partner Immers, speaking after the match, also said he thought it was right that Van de Velde could compete.

“We talked about it one time and we want to enjoy every moment on this stage because we gave everything together for the past three years to qualify,” he said.

“Steven is a really nice guy and for me, I played two years with him, there was nothing and now there is some people that don’t like it because it is a big tournament.”

Van de Velde is not staying in the Olympic village and will not do any post-match media.

There was extra security around him when he arrived in Paris with the rest of the team.

In previous interviews with Dutch media, Van de Velde said: “I can’t reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences. It has been the biggest mistake of my life.”