Australia denies visa to Dutch Olympian convicted of child rape in UK

Dutch Olympian Steven Van De Velde, who was convicted in 2016 of raping a 12-year-old girl in the UK, has been refused a visa to compete in the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Australia, the government has said.

Home affairs minister Tony Burke suggested the 31-year-old’s criminal record was the reason he had been refused a visa to compete at the tournament, which starts in Adelaide on November 14.

“The government will continue to use every tool we have available to ensure that Australians can be safe and feel safe in their communities,” Mr Burke said in a statement.

Van de Velde said in a statement he had anticipated that Australian government policy and his criminal past could pose a problem in obtaining a visa.

“This outcome is not only accepted by me, but also by the rest of the team,” he said.

The ban means his teammate Alexander Brouwer also cannot compete.

Van de Velde made his Olympic debut in Paris last year despite victims’ advocates, politicians and fans of the sport calling for him to be banned.

The International Olympic Committee said it was powerless to stop the Netherlands from sending an athlete who qualified in the usual way.

He and his Olympic teammate Matthew Immers won only one of their four matches during the games.

Two weeks after the Olympics, van de Velde and Immers won a bronze medal at the 2024 European Beach Volleyball Championships in the Netherlands.

Volleyball Australia chief executive Andrew Dee said he was only told on Tuesday of the government’s decision to ban van de Velde.

“As the local organising committee, our focus remains on ensuring we deliver a spectacular world championships,” Mr Dee said.

Van de Velde was aged 19 in 2014 when he contacted his 12-year-old victim on social media and traveled to Milton Keynes to rape her.

He admitted three charges of rape at Aylesbury Crown Court and spent 13 months of a four-year sentence in prison before resuming his sporting career in 2018.