Reigning world champion Angelina Melnikova’s hopes of defending her title at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships have been thrown into doubt after Dutch authorities denied her visa, along with those of fellow Russian gymnasts Viktoria Listunova and Anna Kalmykova. With the competition set to begin on October 17, the Russian Gymnastics Federation is preparing to appeal to World Gymnastics and the IOC. Now, as the federation challenges the decision, World Gymnastics has finally addressed the controversy surrounding the three athletes’ absence from Rotterdam.
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In a statement issued on Wednesday, October 14, World Gymnastics expressed regret over the visa refusals while stressing that the decisions rest solely with Dutch authorities.
“The issuance of visas to all participants is a process determined solely by the Dutch authorities,” World Gymnastics said. “World Gymnastics is not in a position to explain why a select number of application requests have been refused. World Gymnastics remains in ongoing dialogue with the Dutch authorities, the Local Organising Committee, and the Russian Gymnastics Federation. World Gymnastics fully regrets the negative impact on the preparations of the Russian delegation and the confusion felt among the wider Artistic Gymnastics World Championships community.”
The IOC has also weighed in on the debate, stating that global sports is facing difficulties due to the current geopolitical climate. An IOC spokesperson said the organisation had supported World Gymnastics in its efforts to help athletes participate in the Rotterdam championships, while emphasising that visa decisions remain the responsibility of individual governments. The organisation, however, does not have full information on the reasons for the rejection of the three applications, since they are not IOC events.
The spokesperson noted that the vast majority of athletes had received their visas, while further opportunities to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics would be available over the next two years. “We do not have the full information about why some visas were denied and therefore cannot comment on these specific cases,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the refusal notices cited concerns that one or more Schengen-area countries considered the three gymnasts a threat to their international relations. Dutch authorities have not publicly explained the specific grounds for each decision, leaving the reasons behind the refusals unclear.
The decision puts three of Russia’s leading female gymnasts at risk of missing one of the season’s biggest competitions. For Melnikova, the reigning world all-around champion, the refusal threatens her opportunity to defend the title she won in 2025 and compete for another world medal.
Melnikova first claimed the world all-around crown in 2021 before winning it again in 2025. She also earned team gold alongside Listunova at the Tokyo Olympics and won the European all-around title in 2026, making her one of the leading contenders ahead of the Rotterdam championships.
Listunova is also a Tokyo Olympic team gold medallist, while Kalmykova heads into the competition after earning silver in the all-around at the 2026 European Championships. Their potential absence would leave Russia without three of its leading female gymnasts at a championship that also serves as the first team qualification event for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The visa denials, however, seem to be more than just a single administrative matter for the Russians.
Russian Gymnastics Federation accuses Dutch authorities of deliberate exclusion
In March 2022, Russian gymnasts were barred from International competitions following the suspension imposed by World Gymnastics on athletes from Russia and Belarus as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In January 2024, World Gymnastics resumed taking part in the Games for eligible Russian and Belarusian gymnasts as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) after a suitable eligibility process.
The gradual return continued at the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, where Russian gymnasts competed at the event for the first time since 2021. Then in May 2026, World Gymnastics lifted its remaining restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
However, the change in sporting rules did not guarantee entry into every host country. That distinction has now become a major source of controversy ahead of the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. Dutch authorities denied visas to three leading Russian gymnasts, prompting strong criticism from Russian sporting officials.
“The Russian Gymnastics Federation views the actions of the Dutch authorities as a deliberate attempt to exclude the strongest gymnasts from competing for World Championship medals and Olympic quotas,” the federation said in a statement on Telegram. “This constitutes direct discrimination against Russian athletes and a gross violation of the principle of equal conditions for Olympic selection.”
Melnikova also criticized the decision, describing it as “unfair.” Russia’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Vladimir Tarabrin, went further, accusing the Dutch authorities of using political and bureaucratic measures to weaken the Russian team.
“By deliberately denying visas to our strongest athletes for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the Dutch authorities have once again demonstrated their complete disregard for one of the fundamental principles of world sport, fair play. This is a deliberate attempt to weaken our team through political and bureaucratic means,” Tarabrin said.
However, these claims remain the position of Russian officials, while the decision to grant or refuse visas rests with the Dutch authorities