Anger as child rapist Steven van de Velde aims to compete at Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide

There is anger over a convicted child rapist’s bid to compete at a major volleyball event in Australia.

Steven van de Velde pleaded guilty to assaulting a 12-year-old British girl he had been communicating with on social media when he was 19.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Outrage as child rapist bids to compete at Adelaide sporting event.

The Dutch athlete was jailed for four years over the 2014 attack but only served 13 months and relaunched his career in 2017.

He was famously booed during his appearances at the Paris Olympics in 2024, and was booked in accomodation away from the village.

Van de Velde, now 31, wants to compete for the Netherlands at the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide, starting in mid-November.

It is understood his visa application is still pending, and victim advocate groups are calling for him to be banned from entering the country.

The migration act requires visitors to Australia to be of good character.

A decision from the Department of Home Affairs on whether Van de Velde meets that criteria is understood to be imminent.

“The minister for home affairs has appropriate powers in relation to the entry of people into Australia and I’m sure Minister (Tony) Burke will consider that very carefully,” Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said.

Volleyball Australia said eligibility in the tournament is determined by the International Volleyball Federation’s qualification system, and that all athletes would need to satisfy the visa requirements outlined by the department.

Van de Velde had travelled from his homeland to England to meet with the girl at her home.

The court heard he was aware of her age following their conversations on social media.

“You were a potential Olympian. You had the possibility of a stellar future representing the Netherlands,” the judge said during sentencing in 2016.

“She was a child aged 12. You were fully aware of that fact.”

In 2018, the athlete described the rape as the “biggest mistake of my life”.

“I did what I did. I can’t take it back, so I will have to carry the consequences,” he told Dutch public service broadcaster NOS.

“You can judge, of course. It is the biggest mistake of my life.”

In 2024, he told the broadcaster he had considered quitting the Olympics as the pressure mounted.