Four of Russia's gymnasts have received visas allowing them to participate at the world championships, according to a report, but several, including defending all-around champion Angelina Melnikova, are still awaiting their documents.
Russia's teams were supposed to leave over the weekend for the world championships, which begin Saturday, Oct. 17, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. But Alena Glotova was the only member of Russia's women's team who had received her visa as of Monday, Oct. 12, according to TASS, while male gymnasts Daniel Marinov, Arseniy Dukhno and Sergei Naidin have gotten theirs.
In addition to Melnikova, TASS said Tokyo gold medalist Viktoria Listunova plus Anna Kalmykova and Lyudmila Roshchina, part of the Russian team that won
the European women's title in August, are still waiting for their visas. Men's team members Ilya Zaika and Saveliy Seydin, as well as both team's alternates, also still need visas.
Citing an unnamed source, TASS said all of the visas will be issued either Tuesday, Oct. 13, or Wednesday, Oct. 14. TASS is Russia's state-owned news agency.
These gymnastics world championships are the first opportunity countries have to qualify for LA28, with the top three getting spots at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Russian women are expected to challenge the U.S. women for the team title, with the Russian men also being a medal contender.
"We are waiting for good news. ... So far, today's only news is that everyone has gone out to train," Melnikova said in a post on her Telegram channel that was accompanied by a video of her in the gym.
Messages to World Gymnastics and local organizers of the world championships from USA TODAY Sports were not immediately returned.
The delay in Russian athletes getting visas shows how fraught the issue of their participation remains, despite the International Olympic Committee saying in July it was provisionally lifting a ban imposed in reaction to Russia's unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"Sports and culture must not become vehicles for whitewashing Russian aggression. Based on today's discussion, my services together with the Commission, will put forward proposals on how to sustain Russia's isolation in global sports," Kaja Kallas, the foreign policy chief for the European Union, said Monday, Oct. 12.
Russia has largely been a pariah in international sports since 2022, though athletes in some sports have been able to compete as "independent, neutral" athletes for the last two years. By lifting its ban, the IOC is clearing the way for Russia to return without restrictions, and the world gymnastics championships is to be the first major sporting event where it will have a full team in more than four years.
Russia sent full teams to the world championships for fencing, modern pentathlon and rhythmic gymnastics this summer, but none of those sports are as prominent as gymnastics.
Despite World Gymnastics lifting its ban in May, Russia would still have neutral status at the world championships out of deference to the policies of the Netherlands, a staunch ally of Ukraine. Russia will be identified as "WG2," and will not have its flag, anthem or colors.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russia awaits visas as gymnastics world championships approach: Report
