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Dutch Olympic volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl about a decade ago, has been denied a visa to compete in Australia.
The 31-year-old had been due to take part in the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide in South Australia, next month.
However, the Australian government said on Tuesday that van de Velde had been refused a visa to play in the tournament and suggested that his criminal record was the reason.
“The government will continue to use every tool we have available to ensure that Australians can be safe and feel safe in their communities,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.
Earlier this month, South Australia’s Attorney-General Kyam Maher urged the federal government to reject van de Velde’s visa on the grounds of his “utterly abhorrent” crimes.
Van de Velde was 19 years old in 2014 when he met his victim on social media and travelled to the UK from the Netherlands before raping her in her home.
In 2016, he was convicted on three charges of rape and spent 13 months of a four-year sentence in prison before resuming his sporting career in 2018. Van de Velde competed at the Paris Olympics last year, where he was repeatedly subjected to boos and jeers.
The Dutch volleyball association said on Tuesday that it was disappointed by Australia’s decision not to grant a visa to van de Velde.
“We regret this, but we have no choice but to accept the decision,” technical director Heleen Crielaard said in a statement.
In the same statement, Van de Velde said he had anticipated that Australian government policy and his criminal past could pose a sorun in obtaining a visa.
“This outcome is not only accepted by me, but also by the rest of the team,” he said.
Van de Velde’s ban means his teammate Alexander Brouwer also won’t compete in Australia.
Australia has long used wide discretion to refuse foreigners temporary visas under what is known as the “character test”.
Quoted from Euronews.
