Netherlands refuses visas to three Russian gymnasts
Among them is reigning world champion Angelina Melnikova, who cannot defend her title in Rotterdam.
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The Netherlands has refused visas to three leading Russian gymnasts for the world championships in Rotterdam. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport says their sporting performances played no role in the decision.
The gymnasts refused visas are Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova and Anna Kalmykova. The world championships begin in Rotterdam on Saturday and are the first qualifying event for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Melnikova is the reigning world champion in the all-around and was due to defend her title in Rotterdam. The three athletes were due to compete under World Gymnastics 2, the name under which Russian gymnasts previously took part in international competitions.
The Russian Gymnastics Federation calls the decision discrimination and a breach of equal conditions for Olympic qualification. The federation says the Dutch embassy in Moscow communicated the refusal and wants to refer the matter to the International Olympic Committee and World Gymnastics.
The Netherlands is not providing individual reasons for the visa decisions. The ministry told ANP that applications are assessed carefully in accordance with the European Visa Code. It states that a visa can be refused when an applicant is considered a threat to public order, domestic security or the international relations of a member state.
The Dutch explanation therefore does not link the refusal to the sporting qualities of the three gymnasts. The specific considerations that proved decisive in these applications have not been made public. As a result, it cannot be independently established why these three applications in particular were rejected.
According to the Russian federation, five other Russian gymnasts are still waiting for a decision. The international gymnastics federation lifted the suspension of Russian participants earlier this year, but that sporting admission does not override the host country's national visa rules.
The issue once again exposes a tension between individual participation and national security. For the organisation of the Rotterdam world championships, the refusal also means that one of the most prominent participants will be absent from an event that also affects Olympic qualification.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Three Russian gymnasts are not allowed to travel to the Netherlands for the world championships.
- The Netherlands refers to the European Visa Code and has not made the individual reasons public.
- The Russian federation calls the decision discriminatory and wants to involve international sports organisations.
Left
Arguments Athletes should be assessed as individuals wherever possible and should not be excluded because of their nationality. Transparent criteria are needed to prevent collective punishment.
Values Equal treatment, human rights and the separation of sport and geopolitics.
Consequences Exclusion may affect Russian athletes without increasing political accountability.
Centre
Arguments Sporting admission and entry to the country are separate decisions. The Netherlands must apply security criteria, but should provide an explanation where possible and involve international sports organisations.
Values The rule of law, due care, proportionality and the continuity of competitions.
Consequences A case-by-case approach can protect security without automatically excluding all Russian participants.
Right
Arguments A host country must be able to decide for itself whom it admits when public order, security or international relations may be at stake. Sporting status must not override that responsibility.
Values National security, border control and governmental responsibility.
Consequences Participants and organisers face greater uncertainty, but the state retains the scope to assess risks on an individual basis.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The main facts are confirmed by NOS and Sportschau. The article explicitly states that the individual reasoning behind the Dutch decisions has not been made public.
- confirmed Three Russian gymnasts were refused visas for the world championships in Rotterdam. — NOS and Sportschau report the three visa refusals. source
- confirmed Angelina Melnikova is the reigning world champion in the all-around. — NOS mentions her world title and participation in the world championships. source
- confirmed VWS says sporting performances played no role in the visa refusal. — NOS reported this position on the basis of ANP. source
- confirmed The world championships are a qualifying event for the 2028 Olympic Games. — NOS calls the world championships the first qualifying event. source
- confirmed The individual reasons for the refusals have not been made public. — The available Dutch explanation mentions only the general Visa Code and gives no individual reasoning. source
Editor's note
The three visa refusals, the names involved, the Dutch position and the Russian response are certain. The individual reasons for the refusals have not been made public.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „turnen rotterdam”
- de Volkskrant — „turnen rotterdam”
- RTL Nieuws — „turnen rotterdam”