Australian visa denial blocks Dutch volleyball player from World Championships
A Dutch Olympic volleyball player has been denied a visa to Australia to compete in the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide, South Australia. The decision comes amid ongoing scrutiny of foreign athletes with criminal records seeking entry to compete at international events on Australian soil.
Who is involved and what happened
The player, Steven van de Velde, aged 31, faced a serious criminal history before his return to professional sport. In 2016, when he was 21, he pleaded guilty to three counts of raping a 12-year-old girl in Milton Keynes, England. He was sentenced to four years in prison after meeting the girl on Facebook and travelling from Amsterdam to England in 2014 to commit the offences.
Van de Velde subsequently returned to the Netherlands. He was extradited to the United Kingdom in 2016, where he served part of his sentence before his release and resumption of his sporting career in 2018. He later represented the Netherlands in international competitions, including the Paris Olympics, where he faced public scrutiny and booing from some spectators.
Australian authorities respond to the visa decision
Two weeks before the World Championships, South Australia’s Attorney-General Kyam Maher wrote to the federal government urging the rejection of van de Velde’s visa. In the correspondence, Maher described the crimes as “utterly abhorrent” and argued that foreign child sex offenders should not be allowed entry into Australia.
The Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, stated that the government would “continue to use every tool we have available to ensure that Australians can be safe and feel safe in their communities.” The decision highlights Australia’s approach to visas for individuals with serious criminal histories who seek to participate in high-profile international events on Australian soil.
Implications for the World Championships and athletes
The denial removes a notable competitor from the Beach Volleyball World Championships lineup. Organisers have not publicly disclosed alternative arrangements beyond noting that visa eligibility is a matter for the federal government. For international athletes, such cases underscore the importance of compliance with both criminal history checks and visa policies when touring for major events.
Advocates for stricter entry controls say the move reinforces the message that serious crimes, particularly those involving minors, carry consequences that extend beyond sentencing. Critics, however, may point to due process and proportionality, especially when players resume their professional careers after serving their sentences.
Context and public response
Public reaction to van de Velde’s participation has been mixed. At the time of his Olympic appearance, a petition circulated online calling for him to be banned from the Olympics, drawing tens of thousands of signatures. While international sports bodies often balance rehabilitation narratives with safety concerns, this case exemplifies the tension between sport’s inclusive ideals and communities’ expectations of protection from harm.
What comes next
With the visa decision now in place, van de Velde will not compete in the Adelaide event unless policy or legal processes change. The broader implications for athletes with criminal records seeking to participate in international competitions remain a topic of debate among lawmakers, sports federations, and fans. The case may prompt further scrutiny of how host nations assess visas for athletes with serious charges and how organizers communicate eligibility to stakeholders and participants.
Header notes
The BBC reached out to the event organizers and the Dutch volleyball association for comment as part of ongoing coverage. This article aims to provide a factual overview of the case and its implications for sport and public safety.
