Steven van de Velde: Child rapist Olympian denied visa for Australia to compete in 2025 world championships
Dutch Olympic beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, 31, has been denied entry to Australia to compete in next month’s world championships in Adelaide.
Van de Velde pleaded guilty to assaulting a 12-year-old British girl, whom he had contacted on social media when he was 19.
He was sentenced to four years in prison for the 2014 assault but served 13 months before returning to his career in 2017.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Permitted to play at the Paris Olympics last year, van de Velde was housed separately from other athletes and faced boos from the crowd during matches.
News of his potential participation in Australia emerged earlier this month, prompting victim advocate groups to call for denial of his visa. The Dutch Volleyball Association (DVA) confirmed overnight that van de Velde had been blocked from entering Australia.
“We took into account that the combination of the Australian authorities’ policy and my past might pose a problem for obtaining a visa,” van de Velde said in a translated statement.
“This outcome is not only accepted by me, but also by the rest of the team with whom we work closely all year.”
DVA technical director Heleen Crielaard said, “We have included all the documents requested by the Australian authorities for this application and substantiated why we believe he should be able to play the World Cup in Australia.”
“Unfortunately, we have now been informed that the decision has been made not to grant the visa. We regret this, but we have no choice but to accept the decision.”
As a result, van de Velde’s teammate Alexander Brouwer will also not compete.
Volleyball Australia stated that tournament eligibility is determined by the International Volleyball Federation’s system and visa requirements set by the Australian government.
Van de Velde told Dutch media he considered quitting the Olympics amid mounting pressure.
He met his victim on Facebook and travelled to England to meet her at her home. A Dutch court heard he was aware of her age at the time.
“You were a potential Olympian. You had the possibility of a stellar future representing the Netherlands,” the judge said at his 2016 sentencing.
“She was a child aged 12. You were fully aware of that fact.”
In 2018, van de Velde called the assault “the biggest mistake of my life” and said, “I did what I did. I can’t take it back, so I will have to carry the consequences. You can judge, of course. It is the biggest mistake of my life.”
