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

Rotterdam, Netherlands (AP) — The International Gymnastics Federation expresses regret over "confusion" surrounding the world championships commencing on Saturday, following the denial of visas to three prominent Russian gymnasts. Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova, and Anna Kalmykova were barred from traveling to Rotterdam for the week-long event, which serves as a team qualifying competition for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the Russian team has disclosed.

The other Russian athletes in the team were granted visas. "The decision to grant or deny visas is solely at the discretion of the Dutch authorities," World Gymnastics stated on Wednesday. They are actively engaged in discussions with the Dutch authorities, the Local Organizing Committee, and the Russian Gymnastics Federation, expressing deep regret for the negative impact on the Russian delegation's preparations and the confusion experienced by the wider Artistic Gymnastics World Championships community.

This situation underscores the challenges faced by Russian athletes and teams in navigating international travel restrictions. It also echoes a similar incident from a year ago when the world championships took place in Indonesia without the Israeli team, due to the host country's refusal to issue visas. Melnikova claimed victory in the European all-around title in August in Croatia after securing a visa after an initial denial.

Listunova had previously faced a visa denial at the same event. Russia had threatened to strip the world championships of their Olympic qualifier status over the visa issue, as announced by sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov on social media. World Gymnastics did not address this demand in their statement and declined to comment on the matter when reached by The Associated Press.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also refrained from commenting on the individual cases and stated that it could not discuss the specifics. The IOC expressed support for World Gymnastics' efforts to ensure all athletes could participate in the event, noting that the majority of athletes had received their visas and that athletes will have alternative qualifying opportunities for the Olympic Games over the next two years.

In May, Russian gymnasts were cleared of international competition restrictions by World Gymnastics, following a long-standing ban or requirement for neutral status clearance during the full military invasion of Ukraine.