Russian Gymnasts Denied Visas for World Championships
Key Takeaways
- Three Russian gymnasts denied Dutch visas for the World Championships.
- Reigning world champion Angelina Melnikova is among the affected athletes.
- Russia plans to appeal the decision to the IOC and gymnastics governing body.
The Netherlands has denied entry visas to three key members of the Russian women's national gymnastics team, ruling them out of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. The affected athletes include reigning all-around world champion Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova, and Anna Kalmykova.
The Russian Gymnastics Federation strongly criticized the move, calling it a deliberate attempt to exclude top competitors. Russia announced plans to appeal the decision to both the international gymnastics governing body and the International Olympic Committee ahead of the tournament.
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