Three Russian gymnasts denied Dutch visas for Rotterdam world championships

Left · 2Three Russian artistic gymnasts, Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova and Anna Kalmykova, were denied visas to enter the Netherlands for the world championships in Rotterdam, according to the Russian Gymnastics Federation. 1 2 Left · 2The championships run from 17 to 25 October and are the first stage of team qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics; the top three men's and top three women's teams will earn Olympic quota spots. 2 1 Left · 1Melnikova and Listunova were gold medallists in the team event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and Melnikova would have been the defending women's all-around champion in Rotterdam; Kalmykova is 18. 1

Left · 1The federation said the refusal came because "one or several Schengen Area member states consider the athletes a threat to their international relations," and called it "a deliberate elimination of the strongest gymnasts from contention for world championship medals and Olympic quota spots." 2 Left · 2Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov wrote on social media on Tuesday that Russian officials will ask the International Olympic Committee and World Gymnastics to strip the championships of its status as a Los Angeles qualifier; Meduza says the federation plans to appeal to both bodies to assess the impact on equal conditions for Olympic qualification. 1 2 Left · 2Other Russian gymnasts were admitted: CBC, citing Russian media, says four others were allowed in, while Meduza names five (Ilya Zaika, Saveliy Syedin, Lyudmila Roshchina, Milana Kayumova and Elizaveta Us) and says the federation reported visas for 47 of the 61 members of the Russian delegation. 1 2

Left · 1World Gymnastics cleared Russian gymnasts in May of restrictions on competing internationally, after years of bans or neutral-status vetting during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but host countries keep the right to deny visas for political or security reasons. 1 Left · 1In August 2026, Russian gymnasts competed internationally for the first time in five years, at the European Championships in Zagreb, under neutral status; Melnikova won the all-around and vault gold and Kalmykova took all-around silver. Croatia initially denied visas to the Russians but reversed the decision a few days before the competition. 2 Left · 1The coverage here does not include a Dutch government statement explaining the refusals or any response from the IOC or World Gymnastics. 2