Steven van de Velde has been prevented from entering Australia to compete in the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide.
Steve van de Velde was denied a visa by the Australian government on Tuesday, preventing him from entering the country and playing in the Beach Volleyball World Championships, which will take place in Adelaide between November 14th and 23rd. The reason is his 2016 conviction for sexually abusing a minor in England, for which he served a year in prison in 2016 after being extradited to the United Kingdom. After 12 months in prison, he returned to playing and restarted his professional career, representing the Netherlands national team in numerous tournaments.
In 2014, Steven van de Velde, then 19 years old, flew from Amsterdam to Milton Keynes, UK, to meet a 12-year-old student he had met on social media. Although he was aware that the victim was a virgin and a minor, he forced her to have sexual relations, and the crime was discovered after the young woman went to a medical clinic to take a morning-after pill, as instructed by the player himself.
The case gained enormous media attention, and at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, he was heavily booed by fans whenever he played. Therefore, the Dutch Olympic Committee decided to remove Van de Velde from the Olympic Village and house him in a hotel, also prohibiting him from speaking to the media.
