Netherlands denying Russian visas

International Gymnast magazine:

Reigning World all-around champion Angelina Melnikova, Tokyo Olympic team champion Victoriia Listunova, and 2026 European all-around silver medalist Anna Kalmykova are to miss the 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam, October 17-25, after being denied visas, the Russian Gymnastics Federation announced today.  ….

Breaking News: Russia’s Melnikova, Listunova and Kalmykova denied visas for World Championships

As I post, Daniel Marinov, Arsenii Dukhno, Sergei Naidin, Ilya Zaika and Saveli Syedin are approved for the Men.

Only 3 were able to make it to Rotterdam in time for Podium Training.

Alena Glotova, Lyudmila Roshchina, Milana Kayumova and Elizaveta Us have been approved for the women.

Hopefully there will be more last minute approvals.

Personally, I would have voted to continue the ban on Putin’s dictatorship until he ends the war. Recall they were already sanctioned for systematic doping even before Putin invaded Ukraine.

BUT — since World Gymnastics approved them, they should be at World Championships.

World Gymnastics should not host any event in Netherlands nor Indonesia (denying Israeli athletes in 2025) for many years to come.

I fear for Olympics 2028. What nations will Trump ban after a bad golf game?

NOW … if you want to discuss banning nations other than Russia, I’d like to participate. Personally I would ask how many children were killed by a nation’s armed forces when deciding on those bans.

Statement from the Local Organising Committee of the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam has taken note of the announcement by the Russian Gymnastics Federation that three visa applications from members of the Russian delegation have been refused.

The assessment of visa applications and the decisions on whether to grant or refuse them are the sole responsibility of the relevant Dutch authorities. The LOC has no role in this decision-making process and is not involved in the assessment of individual visa applications.

As LOC, we have made every effort within our capacity to support and facilitate the participation of athletes and delegations. We respect the decisions made by the Dutch authorities.

Our position remains unchanged: all athletes eligible to compete under World Gymnastics regulations are welcome in Rotterdam, in accordance with applicable Dutch and European laws and regulations.

World Gymnastics media statement regarding the refusal of visas to three Russian athletes set to participate at the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam.
Lausanne (SUI), 14 October 2026 – The issuance of visas to all participants is a process determined solely by the Dutch authorities. 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.






Bars contenders at ’26 Worlds Rotterdam

Not ALL gymnasts in this video will be at Worlds. As I post, Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova were denied visas to Netherlands, for example.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

GymCastic – 2026 Worlds Preview Part 2

Assuming Melnikova and the rest of Putin’s team get visas for Netherlands.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Interview – Syque Caesar – USA Head Coach – 2026 Worlds

Alternate Yul Moldauer is doing all the preparation competitions with the team.

So far, so good.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

World Championships 2026 Rotterdam

I’ve arrived Rotterdam.

Posting major summaries here. Tweeting @GymCoaching.

2026 European Championships in TeamGym – Espoo (FIN)

Finland will welcome 608 gymnasts for the 16th European TeamGym Championships!

It is a particularly special return to Finland, where the very first European TeamGym competition, then known as Euroteam, took place 30 years ago.

Athletes from 16 countries will be represented: Austria, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.

These European Championships feature competitions for Men’s, Women’s and Mixed teams, both in the junior and the senior age categories. Each team must consist of between 8 and 10 gymnasts, plus up to 2 reserves. Mixed team must be 50/50 split in each apparatus/round.

Each team performs on Floor, Tumble and Trampet. All gymnasts participating in the competition must perform the Floor program. The combined score of these three events determines the final ranking. The final standing of the qualification rounds determine which 8 teams advance to the finals, where scoring starts from zero. The winning team for each of the section in the Final shall receive the title of European TeamGym Champions.

LI-NING new FIG (World Gymnastics) Global Partner

Li-Ning Company Limited is a Chinese sportswear and sports equipment company founded by former Olympic gymnast Li Ning. 

The partnership funs October 2026 to 2033 with LI-NING supporting World Gymnastics across all 8 disciplines, as well as its major events and activities.