Steven van de Velde, the Dutch beach volleyball player convicted of rape, eliminated from Olympics

AP Sports Writer

PARIS (AP) — The Dutch beach volleyball player who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016 has been eliminated from the Paris Olympics. Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers lost to Brazil in straight sets. In his fourth and final match, Van de Velde was again subjected to a steady stream of hoots and whistles when he served the ball. Although victims’ advocates have called from him to be sent home from the Summer Games, the IOC says it is powerless to ban a player who qualified in the usual way.