Steven van de Velde's presence at the Olympics caused uproar. Now he wants to come to Australia.

During the Paris 2024 Olympics, there was an elephant in the room — a rapist named Steven van de Velde.

Early last year, it came to light that Dutch Olympic officials had allowed the volleyball player, a convicted child rapist, to compete in the 2024 Games.

Van de Velde was convicted in 2016, at the age of 19, for the rape of a 12-year-old British schoolgirl, in what was described as a "planned, calculated" assault.

The athlete was sentenced to four years in prison for the crime, but was released after one year. Despite widespread criticism, he was chosen to represent the Netherlands at the Olympic Games.

The 31-year-old was heckled and booed during his appearances.

Now, van de Velde is vying to come to Australia to compete in the Beach Volleyball World Championships, to be held in Adelaide next month.

Watch: Your period doesn't care if it's The Olympics. Post continues below.

On Tuesday, van de Velde was listed as a competitor for the Netherlands in the upcoming Adelaide competition, prompting widespread criticism.

According to the Volleyball World website, van de Velde is listed to play alongside teammate Alexander Brouwer on November 14, 15 and 17.

Volleyball Australia, the peak body for the administration of volleyball in Australia, told Adelaide Advertiser "eligibility of all competitors and participating nations is determined by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Beach Qualification System".

The administration said all athletes participating in the championship will "need to satisfy visa requirements as outlined by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs".

The Australian Migration Act requires all non-citizens wishing to enter or remain in the country to be of good character.

A spokesperson for FIVB, the international governing body responsible for all forms of volleyball, confirmed to the ABC van de Velde had qualified and was eligible to participate in the world championships next month.

Van de Velde has been listed as a competitor for the Netherlands for next month's competition. Image: Getty.

Now, politicians are joining the mounting criticism.

South Australia's Attorney-General has stepped in and written to the federal government, urging it to ban the convicted rapist, ABC reports.

"It is my view, and that of the South Australian government, that Mr van de Velde should not be granted a visa," Kyam Maher said in a letter.

"This individual's offending is utterly abhorrent, and we do not believe that foreign child sex offenders should be granted entry to this country.

"I ask that the South Australian government's strong views be considered as part of the visa application process."

Premier Peter Malinauskas has also added his voice to the chorus.

During question time on Wednesday, the premier said van de Velde "shouldn't be granted entry into this country".

"We do not believe that any sex offender who has been convicted of a serious crime should be allowed into our country," Malinauskas said.

Teammates Alexander Brouwer and Steven van de Velde. Image: Getty.

A Change.org petition calling on the Department of Home Affairs to not grant his visa has attracted more than 2,200 signatures.

"Allowing an individual convicted of such a heinous child sexual offence to enter Australia not only undermines our nation's commitment to protecting children and survivors of sexual violence, it sends a devastating message to victim-survivors across the country,' the petition states.

The Home Affairs department said the government "is committed to protecting the Australian community from the risk of harm posed by non-citizens who engage in criminal conduct or behaviour of concern" but it can't comment on individual cases.

What crime did Steven van de Velde commit?

In 2014, a 19-year-old van de Velde met a 12-year-old British girl on Facebook. Despite knowing her age, the volleyball player travelled from Amsterdam to the UK and raped her at a home in Milton Keynes, per the Milton Keynes Citizen.

The publication reports it was only when she went to get the morning-after pill, at van de Velde's request, that authorities were alerted, due to her young age.

The crime was deemed so severe and appalling that the sentencing judge conveyed to van de Velde that his Olympic dreams were "shattered" as a result of the conviction.

Van de Velde was convicted of rape in 2016. Image: Getty.

During the hearing, van de Velde was told that his victim had self-harmed and taken an overdose after the rape.

However, it increasingly appears that van de Velde has been given somewhat of a free pass, as the Dutch volleyball federation has expressed its "full support" for him.

Following his conviction in March 2016, van de Velde served part of his sentence in England before being transferred to the Netherlands. He was released and resumed playing in 2017, just a year later.

Who is Steven van de Velde's wife?

With intense scrutiny on his professional career, curiosity naturally turned to van de Velde's personal life.

Steven is married to Kim van de Velde, a professional German volleyball player who also serves as a policewoman. Together, they have a son.

Steven frequently appears on Kim's social media, and the couple has been together for six years. However, due to negative comments, Kim has restricted comments on posts featuring Steven.

Steven van de Velde and his wife. Image: Instagram.

Steven van de Velde's presence at the Paris Olympic Games.

The Dutch Volleyball Federation, Nevobo, stood by its decision, with general director Michel Everaert saying, "We know Steven's history."

"He was convicted at the time according to English law, and he has served his sentence," Everaert said in a statement.

"From then on, we have been in constant contact with Steven, who has now been fully reintegrated into the Dutch volleyball community."

The federation doubled down on its decision, saying van de Velde was "proving to be an exemplary professional and human being and there has been no reason to doubt him since his return."

But it's fair to say the mood in Paris, as a result of van de Velde's presence, was critical to say the least.

The Dutch Olympic Committee announced van de Velde wouldn't be staying in the Olympic Athletes Village. He would have alternative lodgings in a separate residence.

It was also revealed that van de Velde was banned from speaking to media at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The volleyball player was booed during his appearances at the Games.

Activist groups questioned his inclusion at all, with calls for the Dutch Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee to end their perceived endorsement of a convicted rapist, per The Guardian.

As the Australian Olympics team chief Anna Meares noted to BBC: "If an athlete or staff member had that conviction, they would not be allowed to be a member of our team. We have stringent policies on safeguarding within our team."

Survivors of sexual assault said they felt deeply betrayed and dismissed.

"The fact that van de Velde is allowed to continue his career after admitting 'the biggest mistake of his life' is further endorsement of the shocking toleration we have of child sexual abuse," The Survivors Trust told Sky News in a statement.

"The rape of a child was planned, calculated involving international travel and will undoubtedly cause his victim lifelong trauma, irreversibly changing the course of her life.

"As a society, we have to start embracing a zero-tolerance approach to this heinous and costly crime.

"His lack of remorse and empathy for his victim is chilling and the allowance of his colleagues and the Olympic committee to promote him to a young audience as a sports person to look up to and therefore by implication is deeply disturbing."

Steven van de Velde responds to the condemnation.

Van de Velde himself released a statement, saying: "I understand that in the run-up to the biggest sporting event in the world, this can attract the attention of international media."

"Because of the second chance I got from my parents, my friends, acquaintances and colleagues, who accepted me again after the biggest misstep of my then young life," he said.

This isn't the first time he's addressed it. In 2018, van de Velde told national broadcaster NOS: "I did what I did. I can't take it back, so I will have to carry the consequences. You can judge, of course."

Upon his release in 2017, van de Velde was not always remorseful for his actions. He protested being labelled "a sex monster, a pedophile" and dismissed comments about his crime as "nonsense," as reported by The Telegraph.

This article was originally published in June 2024, and has since been updated with new information.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Feature Image: Getty.