World Gymnastics regrets 'confusion' after 3 top Russians refused visas for world championships

Rotterdam, Netherlands (AP) — World Gymnastics has expressed regret over the confusion surrounding the upcoming world championships, which commence this Saturday. Three prominent Russians — Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova, and Anna Kalmykova — have been denied visas to enter the Netherlands for the event, the Russian team has announced.

These athletes were not allowed to join the world championships held in Rotterdam, which serves as a crucial team qualifying event for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Russian team maintains that the issuance of visas is solely determined by Dutch authorities, and they are unable to provide explanations for the selective refusals.

World Gymnastics is actively engaged in ongoing discussions with Dutch authorities, the Local Organizing Committee, and the Russian Gymnastics Federation. The organization deeply regrets the adverse impact on the Russian delegation's preparations and the resulting confusion within the wider Artistic Gymnastics World Championships community.

This situation highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Russian athletes and teams as broader restrictions are gradually lifted in the sports world. The incident also echoes a similar scenario from a year ago when the world championships took place in Indonesia without the Israeli team due to the Dutch authorities' refusal to issue visas.

Angelina Melnikova had managed to secure a visa after an initial denial, allowing her to claim the European all-around title in August at the Croatia championships. Listunova, however, was denied a visa on that occasion. Russia had threatened to strip the world championships of their Olympic qualifier status over this issue, as Russian team minister Mikhail Degtyaryov noted on social media.

World Gymnastics did not mention this threat in its statement and declined to comment on the matter further. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has supported World Gymnastics in their efforts to ensure participant inclusion and acknowledged that the majority of athletes have received their visas. The IOC emphasized that athletes will have alternative qualification opportunities for the Olympic Games in the coming two years.

Russian gymnasts were recently cleared in May of international competition restrictions, following years of bans and vetting requirements due to the ongoing military invasion of Ukraine.