Trigger Warning: This article discusses sexual assault
The Australian government has denied entry to Dutch beach-volleyball player Steven van de Velde, a convicted child-rapist, preventing him from participating in the forthcoming Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide.
Van de Velde, aged 31, had qualified to play for the Netherlands and was due to take part in the championship beginning 14 November.
According to the ABC, the decision was made by the Department of Home Affairs following a formal request from the South Australian Government, which urged federal authorities to block his entry on character grounds.
Steven Van De Velde’s Conviction
Van de Velde was convicted on three counts of rape of a child, after admitting to the charge in a UK court in 2016. The volleyball player admitted to travelling to the UK to meet a 12-year-old girl he had contacted online and subsequently assaulted in August of 2014.
Despite receiving a sentence of four years in prison, he was transferred from the UK to the Netherlands where an adjustment under Dutch law saw him released after 12 months. Van de Velde resumed his sporting career by 2018 and later participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics for his country.
The athlete’s recent ban from entering Australia came after a petition on Change.org gathering thousands of signatures called for his exclusion on the basis that allowing a convicted child sex offender to compete in Australia would undermine public confidence and send the wrong message.
That petition was also backed by a plea from the South Australian Government.
“It is my view, and that of the South Australian government, that Mr Van de Velde should not be granted a visa,” Attorney-General Kyam Maher said in a letter.
“This individual’s offending is utterly abhorrent, and we do not believe that foreign child sex offenders should be granted entry to this country.
“I ask that the South Australian government’s strong views be considered as part of the visa application process.”
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