World Gymnastics Regrets 'Confusion' After 3 Top Russians Refused Visas for World Championships

Three Russian gymnasts were not allowed to enter the Netherlands for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, which began on Saturday in Rotterdam. The Dutch government refused to give visas — official travel documents — to former Olympic champions Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova, as well as their teammate Anna Kalmykova. Without visas, the three athletes could not travel to compete in the week-long event. World Gymnastics, the sport's global governing body, said it was sorry for the 'confusion' the situation caused.

The World Championships in Rotterdam are important because they serve as a qualifying event for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. That means strong results there can earn a country a spot at the Olympics. Other members of the Russian gymnastics team were allowed into the Netherlands and received their visas without a problem. However, the three athletes who were refused could miss out on a key chance to help their team qualify.

World Gymnastics released a statement explaining that it does not control who receives visas. 'The issuance of visas to all participants is a process determined solely by the Dutch authorities,' the organization said. It added that it could not explain why only some applications were denied. The group said it was working with Dutch officials, local organizers, and the Russian Gymnastics Federation to address the situation.

This situation shows a wider problem in international sports. Even when sports organizations allow athletes from a country to compete, the government of the host country still has the power to say no. Just last year, a similar thing happened at the gymnastics world championships in Indonesia, where Israeli athletes were blocked from entering the country. These cases show that politics can still get in the way of sports, even when athletic groups try to stay neutral.

Melnikova had faced visa trouble before. In August, she was first refused a visa but then approved to compete at the European Championships in Croatia, where she won the all-around title. Her teammate Listunova was not so lucky that time — she was refused and could not compete. These repeated rejections have frustrated the Russian gymnastics team.

Russia's sports minister, Mikhail Degtyaryov, responded strongly to the latest refusals. He wrote on social media that Russia planned to demand that the World Championships lose their status as an Olympic qualifying event because of the visa denials. World Gymnastics did not respond to that demand in its public statement. The Associated Press asked about it directly but received no answer.

The International Olympic Committee, known as the IOC, also addressed the situation on Wednesday. It said it had supported World Gymnastics in trying to make sure all athletes could compete. The IOC noted that most athletes did receive their visas. It also pointed out that gymnasts would have more chances to qualify for the 2028 Olympics over the next two years, suggesting the door is not fully closed for the Russian athletes.

Russian gymnasts had only recently been allowed back into international competition. World Gymnastics lifted most restrictions on Russian athletes in May, after years of bans and strict rules that followed Russia's full military invasion of Ukraine. Some had been required to pass special checks to compete as 'neutral' athletes, meaning they could not represent Russia officially. The visa refusals are a fresh setback for a team that was just beginning to return to the world stage.