People who tuned into Radio-Canada’s Olympic coverage this morning may have noticed the unusual silence. It was intentional.
While tasked with covering events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Radio-Canada commentators Évelyne Audet and Gilles Lépine chose to stay silent during Wednesday’s men’s beach volleyball match between the Netherlands and Chile. Their decision was a form of protest against the participation of Dutch player Steven Van de Velde, who has a troubling past.
Van de Velde’s involvement in the Games has been contentious for many due to his 2014 conviction for raping a minor in England. After serving 13 months in prison, the 29-year-old was extradited to the Netherlands and released. Despite this, he resumed his volleyball career and was selected by the Dutch Olympic Committee for the current Games.
Audet later shared on social media that she and her colleagues agreed it was best to avoid commenting on the match, highlighting the offputting nature of the athlete’s involvement in the event.
“Disgusting. He should be in prison for his crime, and has instead returned to his sport,” she wrote of the Dutchman, whose victim was 12 years old at the time. “We have voiced our discomfort to our superiors and thought it would be best to sit out this match.”
— Evelyne Audet (@evelyneaudet) July 31, 2024
Meanwhile, on the ground, Van de Velde was repeatedly booed and heckled by spectators as his team overcame Chile in two sets.
Here’s a good clip of Steven van de Velde being booed today ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/N0B39dSF24
— David Challen (@David_Challen) July 31, 2024
With that said, the convicted pedophile still has some people on his side.
After the match, Van de Velde’s teammate Matthew Immers shrugged off the criticism of the player’s presence in Paris.
“I’m really disappointed with the reactions [of the crowd]. I can’t do anything about his past anymore,” Immers told reporters, as per a Dutch publication. “I’m here to play with him. We had a qualification together for two years and we didn’t hear anything and now it’s a big thing.”
A Change.org petition to have Van de Velde excluded from the Olympic Games was launched a little over a week ago. It has received more than 120,000 signatures.