Dutch authorities denied visas to Russian artistic gymnasts Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova, and Anna Kalmykova, barring them from traveling to the world championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The Russian Gymnastics Federation said the denial came because “one or several Schengen Area member states consider the athletes a threat to their international relations.”
The federation said it viewed the Dutch authorities’ actions as “a deliberate elimination of the strongest gymnasts from contention for world championship medals and Olympic quota spots.”
The federation said it plans to appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Gymnastics to “assess the situation and its impact on ensuring equal conditions for Olympic qualification.”
Five other Russian athletes received visas: Ilya Zaika, Saveliy Syedin, Lyudmila Roshchina, Milana Kayumova, and Elizaveta Us. The Russian Gymnastics Federation said Dutch authorities issued visas to 47 of the 61 members of the Russian delegation.
The world artistic gymnastics championships will take place in Rotterdam from October 17–25, marking the first stage of team qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The top three men’s and top three women’s teams will earn Olympic quota spots as a result.
Angelina Melnikova is the 2020 Olympic champion in the team all-around and a multiple world and European champion.
In August 2026, Russian gymnasts competed in international competitions for the first time in five years — at the European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. At that tournament, Melnikova won gold in the vault and became the all-around champion for the first time in her career. Kalmykova took second place in the all-around.
Croatia did not issue visas to the Russian athletes on the first attempt — they were initially denied, but the decision was reversed a few days before the competition. All the gymnasts competed in the tournament under neutral status.
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