The Russian Gymnastics Federation has announced that Olympic champions Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova, along with another athlete, have been refused visas to travel to the Netherlands for the upcoming world championships in Rotterdam. Melnikova, who was set to defend her title in the women’s all-around competition, will miss the weeklong event, which serves as a team qualifying competition for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Russian authorities intend to request the International Olympic Committee and World Gymnastics to revoke the championships’ status as an Olympics qualifier.
Both Melnikova and Listunova, who won gold in the team event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, were expected to be part of the Russian contingent along with 18-year-old Anna Kalmykova. However, only four other Russian gymnasts were granted entry into the Netherlands, as reported by Russian media outlets. Earlier in May, Russian gymnasts were given the green light by World Gymnastics to compete internationally after facing bans and vetting requirements due to the conflict in Ukraine.
While countries have the authority to deny visas for political or security reasons, it is worth noting that no Russian gymnasts participated in artistic gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics.