Flag returned, visas were not given: how the Netherlands deprive Russian gymnasts of the Olympics-2028
On October 9, a truly absurd and tense situation developed in Russian sports. On the one hand, the international federations are lifting discriminatory restrictions one by one. On the other hand, host countries are finding ways to keep our athletes out of competitions using a banal bureaucracy. A good example is the Russian gymnastics team, which right now risks losing its chance at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
To begin with, the global gymnastics community seems to have met us halfway. Following the results of the October meeting in Bangkok, the Executive Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation confirmed that Russian and Belarusian athletes have the full right to perform at tournaments under their own flags and with the performance of national anthems.
The position of the organization was clearly stated. In addition to the clarification published in July, it has now become clear that the same degree of flexibility is required for activities allocated after the May 2026 decision, when mandatory local restrictions prevent the full implementation of World Gymnastics standard rules. In this regard, the Executive Committee confirmed that, in principle, all Russian and Belarusian athletes should be ensured the right to full representation in any competition under the auspices of World Gymnastics.
It would seem that the problem is solved. Sport is becoming fair again, at least on paper. But there's one big but. The federation has left a loophole in cases where local authorities are obstructed. And this loophole immediately turned into a blank wall for our team.
The World Gymnastics Championship will be held in Rotterdam. The departure of the Russian national team is scheduled for the night from 11 to 12 October. Today, October 9, is the last working day of the Dutch Embassy before departure. What do we see? Total silence. Former senior coach of the Russian national team Valentina Rodionenko stated the fact: the situation with visas has not moved from a dead point, the documents hung in uncertainty.
Let's understand what this is about. It’s not just an ordinary tournament where you can fight for medals and forget. Rotterdam-2026 is the first stage of selection for the 2028 Olympic Games. This is where the first command quotas are played out. If gymnasts do not have time to obtain passports with cherished stamps and do not sit on the plane, they risk losing the right to fight for the Olympic license.
All athletes have passed a strict sports selection, their names are in the official bid lists of the international federation. The documents were sent to the visa center in early October, as soon as the invitations were received. But the Dutch side seemed to take a pause, dragging the process to a critical point.
We are again witnessing a sad picture when international sports organizations can make any progressive decisions about admission, but on the ground, it is the political will of specific officials that decides everything. The Netherlands is effectively using the visa regime as a covert tool of sanctions, ignoring the position of World Gymnastics.
The Russian Gymnastics Federation is ringing all the bells. In their official statement, the situation is described very accurately: “The Dutch authorities are jeopardizing the participation of the Russian team in the selection for the 2028 Olympic Games.” Two days before the scheduled departure for the World Gymnastics Championship, the Russian team has not received visas from the Dutch authorities. The team risks missing the competition, the tournament will play the first team quotas for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Now our federation is working in an emergency mode, involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and personally the President of the International Federation Morinari Watanabe. The quote from the appeal of the press service reflects the intensity of what is happening: “The Gymnastics Federation of Russia has notified World Gymnastics about the current situation and continues to work on resolving the visa issue in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the President of the International Federation Morinari Watanabe.”.
The situation develops as in a bad thriller, where time goes by the clock. Before the start of official training and testing of the platform are a few days. It remains to be seen whether common sense and the rules of an international federation or bureaucratic sabotage at the level of the Dutch embassy will prevail.
One thing is certain: if our gymnasts are not allowed in Rotterdam, this will be another proof that in the modern world, even the official return of the national flag to the platform does not guarantee the right to simply go to this platform.
