The Russian Gymnastics Federation has announced that Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova, both Olympic champions, along with another athlete, have been refused visas to travel to the Netherlands for the upcoming world championships set to commence in Rotterdam this Saturday. Melnikova, who would have been the reigning champion in the women’s all-around event, was geared up for the weeklong competition serving as a team qualifier for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

In response to this setback, Russian officials are planning to request the International Olympic Committee and World Gymnastics to reconsider the event’s status as an Olympic qualifier, as stated by Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov on social media earlier this week. Melnikova and Listunova, who clinched gold in the team event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, were supposed to be accompanied by 18-year-old Anna Kalmykova to the Netherlands, with reports indicating that four other Russian gymnasts were permitted entry into the country.

Following a recent clearance in May by World Gymnastics allowing Russian gymnasts to compete internationally without restrictions, this denial of visas underscores the discretionary power of host countries to refuse entry for political or security reasons. Notably, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, there were no Russian participants in artistic gymnastics.