A Dutch beach volleyball player will not be allowed into Australia to play in a world championships in Adelaide.

Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde – a convicted child rapist – has reportedly denied a visa to enter the country ahead of the November’s Beach Volleyball World Championships.

His visa rejection followed a South Australian government campaign urging the federal government to ban him from entering the country.

South Australian Attorney-General Kyam Maher wrote to the federal government, noting van de Velde’s offending was “utterly abhorrent”.

“We do not believe that foreign child sex offenders should be granted entry to this country,” Maher wrote.

On Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government would “continue to use every tool we have available to ensure that Australians can be safe and feel safe in their communities”.

Maher said the SA government backed the ban.

“Someone who have been convicted of multiple counts of raping a 12-year-old girl has no place coming to Australia or being glorified in any way, shape or form,” he said.

Van de Velde was convicted of child rape in 2016, having raped a 12-year-old British girl when he was 19 in 2014. He served 13 months of a four-year sentence in Netherlands after being extradited home.

He was meant to play at the Beach Volleyball World Championships, which run from November 14-23. They will be the largest event yet held on Asian Volleyball Confederation territory.

Australian Olympic medallist Taliqua Clancy and Paris Olympians Izac Carracher, Mark Nicolaidis, Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert will all take to the sand as part of the Australian team. Among the 18 Australian athletes, 12 will make world championships debuts.

Competition organisers were contacted for comment.

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Republished from InDaily with permission