Dutch team with player convicted of rape qualifies for Olympic beach volleyball knockout round

PARIS (AP) — The Dutch Olympian who was convicted in 2016 of raping a girl in England advanced to the knockout round of the beach volleyball tournament on Friday, even with a loss in the final match of pool play.

Steven van de Velde and his partner, Matthew Immers, will play in the round of 16 on Sunday or Monday. An opponent has not been determined.

The Dutch lost in straight sets to Tokyo gold medalists Anders Mol and Christian Sorum on Friday, with fans again booing and whistling at Van de Velde on every serve. The Dutch finished with a 1-2 record in pool play, winning the three-way tiebreaker because of a higher ratio of sets won and lost.

Van de Velde, 29, served 13 months in prison after his 2016 conviction for raping a 12-year-old girl in England. Although victims advocates, lawmakers and fans have called for him to be banned from the Olympics, the IOC has said it was powerless to stop the Netherlands from sending an athlete who qualified in the usual way.

Van de Velde again did not walk through the mix zone to address the media on Friday, something typically required of all Olympians.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games