Netherlands denies visas to three Russian gymnasts for world championships, including Olympic champion Angelina Melnikova
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 Netherlands has refused visas to Russian artistic gymnasts Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova, and Anna Kalmykova for the upcoming world championships. This decision comes after the Russian Gymnastics Federation claimed that "one or several Schengen Area member states" view the athletes as a threat to international relations.
The federation sees this as an attempt to eliminate the strongest gymnasts from medal contention for world championships and Olympic quota spots. The federation plans to appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Gymnastics to assess the situation. Five other Russian athletes were granted visas, bringing the total number of officially allowed Russian athletes to 47 out of the initial 61 members.
The world artistic gymnastics championships will be held in Rotterdam from October 17–25, determining the top three teams for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Melnikova, a 2020 Olympic champion and multiple world and European champion, won gold in vault and the all-around at the European Championships in August 2026. Kalmykova secured second place in the all-around at the same event.
The Russian gymnasts initially faced visa denial during the European Championships, but had their decision overturned a few days prior to the competition. They competed under neutral status at that tournament.
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
