Three Russian gymnasts, including two Olympic champions, will miss the World Championships in Rotterdam after failing to receive visas

Three gymnasts from Russia, Olympic champions Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova, along with Anna Kalmykova, will miss the World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam after Dutch authorities rejected their visa applications. The competition begins on Saturday, and the results count toward qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games.

The World Gymnastics Federation said Wednesday that visa issuance is the sole responsibility of the Dutch authorities and that the organization cannot explain why certain applications were rejected. The federation said it remains in contact with the authorities in the Netherlands, the competition organizers, and the Russian Gymnastics Federation, and apologized for the problems caused to the Russian delegation.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov announced that Russia will ask for the Rotterdam World Championships to no longer have Olympic qualification status. The International Gymnastics Federation did not comment on the request, while the International Olympic Committee said that most Russian athletes had received visas and that there would be other qualification opportunities.

The case comes after similar incidents at the European Championships in Croatia. International restrictions imposed on Russian athletes were lifted in May, after having been introduced following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.