MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Dutch Olympian Steven van de Veldewho was convicted in 2016 of raping a 12-year-old girl in Britain has been denied a visa to play in the world beach volleyball championships in Australia, the government said on Tuesday.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke suggested the 31-year-old’s criminal record was the reason he was denied a visa to compete in the tournament, which starts in Adelaide on November 14.
“The government will continue to use every tool at our disposal to ensure Australians can be safe and feel safe in their communities,” Burke said in a statement.
Van de Velde said in a statement that he expected 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,” Van de Velde said in Dutch.
Due to Van de Velde’s suspension, his teammate Alexander Brouwer will also not participate. Van de Velde made his Olympic debut in Paris last year, even as advocates, lawmakers and fans of sex crime victims called 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 at the games. Two weeks after the Olympic Games, 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 informed of the government’s decision to ban Van de Velde on Tuesday.
“As a local organizing committee, our focus remains on ensuring we deliver spectacular world championships,” Dee said.
“This year will be the biggest beach volleyball event in the world and the first time we have nine Australian teams proudly wearing the green and gold. That’s what we all need to focus on now and celebrate,” he added.
Van de Velde was 19 years old in 2014 when he contacted his victim via social media and traveled to Britain to rape her. He was convicted on three counts of rape and spent 13 months of a four-year sentence in prison before resuming his sporting career in 2018.
Australia has long used broad discretion to deny foreigners temporary visas based on what is known as the ‘character test’.
Two weeks ago, the Australian Supreme Court dismissed the American conservative commentator Candace Owens ‘ tried to have her visa ban overturned last year when she planned a speaking tour around the country. Burke said she was excluded because of the risk she would “foster discord in the Australian community.”
Burke undressed American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye Westof an Australian visa after releasing his single ‘Heil Hitler’ in May this year. You had been traveling to Australia for years, where his wife of three years, Bianca Censoriwas born.
