Gymnastics Federation of Russia announced problems with visas to participate in the World Cup

Two days before the scheduled departure for the World Gymnastics Championship, the Russian team has not received visas from the Dutch authorities. This was reported by the press service of the Federation of Gymnastics of Russia FGR.

The team risks missing the competition, which will take place from 17 to 25 October 2026 in Rotterdam.

The FGR said that the Dutch authorities jeopardize the participation of the Russian team in the selection for the Olympics. The tournament will feature the first team quotas for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. They will receive the three best men's and three best women's teams.

All Russian gymnasts were selected and included in the official application lists of World Gymnastics. From September 30 to October 5, 2026, athletes submitted a full set of documents immediately after receiving invitations to the visa center. As of October 9, there is no information on the timing of visa issuance. The departure of the team is scheduled for the night of October 12.

Further delays in issuing visas could prevent Russian gymnasts from arriving in time for the start of training at the venue. The Russian Gymnastics Federation has notified World Gymnastics of the current situation and continues to work on resolving the visa issue in cooperation with the Russian Foreign Ministry and the president of the international federation, Morinari Watanabe.

In August, nine of the 65 members of the Russian delegation (including athletes) were denied visas to Croatia. But later the decision was revised: Angelina Melnikova, Anna Kalmykova, Leyla Vasilyeva and Alexei Usachev visas still issued, and they were able to perform at the tournament.