Convicted child rapist and volleyball player Steven van de Velde will be banned from entering Australia to compete after officials determined he will not be issued with a visa on character grounds.
He had been scheduled to play at the championships in Adelaide next month, in a prominent match against an Australian team on November 14.
News.com.au has confirmed that following a review of the case that van de Velde has been informed that the visa will be denied.
The athlete was convicted of child rape a decade ago following an incident when he was 19, when he raped a 12-year-old British girl, after contacting her on social media and travelling to Britain to meet her.
Prosecutor Sandra Beck told the court at the time: “She describes that she had met Steven Van de Velde on Facebook, they spoke regularly through that and he made her ‘feel special’.
“She certainly made it clear she was seven years younger than him.
“This relationship over social media was taking place over a period of time.”
“You were a potential Olympian,” the judge said in the sentencing.
“You had the possibility of a stellar future representing the Netherlands,” the judge said during sentencing in 2016. “She was a child aged 12. You were fully aware of that fact.”
He later returned to sport in 2018 and participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics, sparking international controversy and global anger.
Some commentators in the Netherlands had asserted however that the crime of sex with a 12 year old when he was an adult was ameliorated by the fact he did not use force in the incident, which involved him providing her with alcohol.
The athlete has previously expressed regret for what he called “the biggest mistake of my life”.
The Netherlands’ Olympic committee, which selected Van de Velde, said in a statement that he had served his sentence, completed an extensive rehabilitation programme and experts had concluded there was no risk of him reoffending.
The volleyball player had shown that he had “grown and positively changed his life”, it said.
The decision by Australian immigration officials followed a plea from the South Australian Government that called for him to be banned from entering Australia.
“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.”
In 2016 he was sentenced to four years in prison in after admitting to three counts of rape against a child who he had met on Facebook.
He was later released after serving 12 months of his sentence.
SA Treasurer Tom Kousantonis also called for officials to ban him from entering the country.
“No, I don’t think any child sex offender should be let into the country, why should they be?” he said.
“We shouldn’t have an exemption for athletes.
“If he’s a child sex offender he should not be allowed into Australia or South Australia.
“Why would we want any child sex offenders coming into the country, what’s the rationale for that?”
Van de Velde was booed at the Paris Olympics confirming he had considered quitting.
“I definitely thought about it, yes,’’ he said.
“I did something wrong, ten years ago. I have to accept that.
“But hurting people around me – whether it’s my wife, my child … that just goes too far for me.
“That’s definitely a moment where I thought, is this worth it?”
“I did what I did. I can’t take it back, so I will have to carry the consequences,” he told Dutch broadcaster NOS.
“You can judge, of course. It is the biggest mistake of my life.”
He returned to the sport in 2018 and competed at the 2024 Olympics.
A Change.org petition in Australia had attracted more than 1,600 signatures calling on the Department of Home Affairs not to grant his visa on legal grounds.
“Allowing an individual convicted of such a heinous child sexual offence to enter Australia not only undermines our nation’s commitment to protecting children and survivors of sexual violence, it sends a devastating message to victim-survivors across the country,” the petition said.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs previously stated it could not comment on individual cases, for privacy reasons.
“The Australian Government is committed to protecting the Australian community from the risk of harm posed by non-citizens who engage in criminal conduct or behaviour of concern,” the spokesperson said.
“All non-citizens who wish to enter or remain in Australia must satisfy the requirements of the Migration Act 1958 (the Act) and Migration Regulations 1994, including identity, health, security and character requirements.”
FIVB, the international governing body responsible for volleyball, had confirmed van de Velde was cleared to compete at the Adelaide tournament.
“Individual players are selected by the respective country in line with the policies defined by the National Federation and National Olympic Committee,” the spokesperson said.
“The FIVB respects the autonomy of National Federations and National Olympic Committees to select the national teams that will represent their country.
“The FIVB also has an obligation to uphold the right to work of all athletes, provided they meet the established eligibility requirements.”
“While the FIVB supports athletes and teams in facilitating the necessary administrative processes, the final decision rests solely with the authorities of each respective country,” they said.
