An artist set up his canvas and got to work on an oil painting as the doors to this arena were thrown open. It is the most picture-perfect venue of these games, a man-made beach in the heart of Paris, exquisitely framed at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
It glowed as the sun finally broke through on Sunday morning. There was party music, breakfast croissants and a crowd arriving for their first taste of the Olympic volleyball. It had the makings of a joyous occasion, yet here was the dark 6ft6in shadow of Holland’s child rapist.
Steven van de Velde was booed as he walked onto court. He won the toss, threw a handful of sand into the air and picked ends with his team-mate Matthew Immers. For the record, they lost, beaten by the Italian pair ranked 25th, which felt like the smallest grain of sporting justice.
There were no dignitaries here. Quite frankly, they would not want to be seen anywhere near the Dutchman. The sooner he is knocked out of these games and sent home, the better. There is already a petition for his removal.
He was found guilty of three counts of raping a 12-year-old in Buckinghamshire in 2014, yet he is competing because he was granted early release from prison and adjudged by the Dutch selectors to have paid his dues.
Dutch volleyball player Steven van de Velde, a convicted child rapist, was greeted by boos
Sport has the power to make people forget and the booing eased as the match went on, the crowd sucked into in the battle of set points. Yet this is a man whose crimes are the most stomach-churning of any at this competition, which includes alleged dopers and animal abusers. If Charlotte Dujardin has been sent home for being a risk to horses, then how on earth is a man who flew from Amsterdam to the UK to rape a child deemed a worthy character?
There are 10,714 competitors at these games and Van de Velde is the only one with special dispensation not to talk to the media. John van Vliet, the team’s press attaché, was told in no uncertain terms that it is not a good look to protect a child rapist. His response? ‘We are protecting a convicted child rapist to do his sport as best as possible, in a tournament which he qualified for. We are very much aware that if we bring Steven out here then it won’t be about his sport and his performance.’
And what about the message it sends to the victims of rape or sexual abuse who are alarmed by his selection? ‘I have no message.’
The Dutch showed an alarming lack of remorse. In a soggy patch around the corner from the courts, their own journalists confronted the overseas media for making too much of a ‘big deal’ out of the situation.
It was a car crash of a press conference. When Immers arrived, three French body-guards turned up because they feared for his safety. Immers has committed no crime but his name is muddied by association, having agreed to double-up in the pursuit of high-performance success. He explained how the pair ‘do not sleep together’ and that Van de Velde is staying away from the Olympic Village.
Van de Velde, 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 on three counts
‘I’m disappointed by all the big attention,’ said the 23-year-old. I’ve known the guy for three for four years and we’ve played every tournament.
‘We’re disappointed that it’s so big because we fought really hard for two years to qualify for this. We didn’t like it but we talked about it and we said, “OK, we’re going to enjoy the Olympics, we’re going to do everything together as much as possible, with some rules”.’
All athletes must sign a declaration about their status as role-models before these games. Immers seems to think his partner fits the bill. ‘What’s in the past is in the past. Steven is a really good example from how he is right now. He had his punishment and now he’s really kind. For me, that’s a big example that you grow and learn a lot from it. What happened in the past is not good, of course, but right now we’re trying to enjoy and go to the next round.’
So off they go to enjoy the party. Just spare a thought for the victim, now in her 20s, is believed to have tried to take an overdose. The dark underbelly of these games is clear for all to see, found directly beneath the magnificent glory of France’s most iconic landmark.