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South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has voiced his outrage at the prospect of a convicted child rapist being allowed to compete in the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide.
The news comes after the state's attorney-general, Kyam Maher, revealed he has written to the federal government in an effort to ensure Dutch player Steven Van de Velde is not allowed to enter the country.
Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 but served just 13 months after admitting to three counts of rape against a 12-year-old girl he met on Facebook.
He was aware of her age at the time of the offences.
The Dutchman features in a world championships draw that was released on Tuesday, listing him and teammate Alexander Brouwer to play against Australia's D'Artagnan Potts and Jack Pearse at the tournament, which starts next month.
'We do not believe that any sex offender who has been convicted of a serious crime should be allowed into our country,' Malinauskas said.
Volleyballer Steven Van de Velde (pictured) has been listed to play at next month's Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide after being convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl
The prospect of Van de Velde being allowed into the country has drawn a sharp response from South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas (pictured)
Despite his crimes, the Dutchman was allowed to compete at the Paris Olympics last year (pictured), leaving many sports fans outraged
The premier added that his stance matches 'the type of legislation this government has passed into how strongly [we] feel about child sex offences and offenders'.
In a letter to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, Maher wrote, 'It is my view, and that of the South Australian government, that Mr Van de Velde should not be granted a visa.
'This individual's offending is utterly abhorrent, and we do not believe that foreign child sex offenders should be granted entry to this country.'
The Department of Home Affairs refused to comment on individual cases when Daily Mail asked whether Van de Velde will be given a visa.
He can be refused if it is decided he has a substantial criminal record, or on the basis that he has been found guilty of a sexually based crime against someone under the age of 18.
A Volleyball Australia (VA) spokesperson said the governing body is not involved in deciding the eligibility of competitors for the World Championships, which is the responsibility of the International Volleyball Federation.
A Change.org petition seeking to have the 31-year-old banned from competing in Australia has attracted more than 2400 signatures at the time of writing.
'Sporting, or any, talent does not override disgusting behaviour. A predator does not deserve opportunities or platforms as a reward,' one comment on the petition reads.
The 31-year-old beach volleyballer (pictured) insisted he should not be known as a paedophile as he lashed out at reports about his crimes - before admitting he hadn't read any of them
Van de Velde was booed at the Paris Olympics and banned from talking to the media
'Allowing him here to play sends a terrible and hollow message to victims and survivors,' another commenter wrote.
After serving part of his sentence in Britain, where he committed the rapes, Van de Velde was transferred to the Netherlands and his sentence was adjusted to the norms of Dutch law, resulting in his release from jail in 2017.
He started competing again that year, and lashed out at being branded a paedophile.
'I do want to correct all the nonsense that has been written about me when I was locked up,' he said.
'I did not read any of it, on purpose, but I understand that it was quite bad, that I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile.
'That I am not - really not.'
After being cleared to play by the Dutch Volleyball Association, Van de Velde returned to international competition in 2018 and went on to play in world cups and European championships.
Now the married father of a boy, he was given the green light to compete in Paris with his teammate Matthew Immers, who were ranked 11th in the world at the time.
Women's advocacy groups were dismayed by the move, and the Dutch Olympic Committee's decision to shift Van de Velde out of the athletes' village and ban him from talking to the media.
'He's not going to downplay it (his conviction). We have to respect that and help him as a member of the team to be able to perform,' Dutch chef de mission Pieter van den Hoogenband said.
Van de Velde was booed by spectators throughout the Games, where he and Immers reached the quarter-finals.
He broke down in tears in an interview after the Olympics as he admitted to thinking about not representing his country in Paris.
'I thought, "I don't want that. I'm not going to give others the power to decide they can bully me away or get rid of me.'
