The 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships begin October 17 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, but a fierce contest has already begun. Due to unapproved visas, the Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF) has not yet sent its gymnastics teams to the Netherlands, and the clock is ticking.

In an exclusive interview, a Russian gymnastics official confirmed with me that only 38 of 61 delegation members have received visas as of October 12.

Of those 38 members, only four of the members are competitive athletes: one female and three male gymnasts.

The Russians were supposed to leave for Rotterdam on October 11, but have pushed their delegation’s departure to an unspecified date to delay from the Dutch government.

Gold Medal Favorites Still Waiting

The following women were named to Russia’s World Championship team: Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova, Anna Kalmykova, Lyudmila Roshchina, Alyona Glotova, and Milana Kayumova (alternate), but only Alyona Glotova has received a visa as of October 12.

Those still waiting include defending World All-Around Champion and gold-medal favorite Angelina Melnikova.

Prepared to participate in their first team World Championship team competition since 2019, the Russian women enter the championship as defending European champions and top contenders for gold. The men’s team is also internationally competitive, but three of six athletes have not yet received visas.

“Several of Russia’s strongest gymnasts remain without visas,” a RGF spokesperson told me. As a result “the women’s team cannot compete in the team event, while the men’s team cannot travel with its full roster. The delays have already disrupted our athletes’ preparation and travel schedules.”

Despite grave concern from the Russian Gymnastics Federation, they say their pleas for assistance from the World Gymnastics Federation (formerly the International Gymnastics Federation) have been met with silence.

The federation said Friday that it had also notified World Gymnastics and is working with Russia’s Foreign Ministry and World Gymnastics president Morinari Watanabe. “No official explanation has been provided for the delays,” they added.

Forbes reached out to World Gymnastics on three separate occasions, but received no response from gymnastics’ governing body.

The Geopolitical Double Standard

As an ally of the Ukrainian government, the Dutch government’s defense influence on Russian participation at a World Gymnastics sanctioned event has been met with intense scrutiny from the Russian contingent and its supporters.

While Russia faces potential exclusion from an FIG-sanctioned event, the federation argues that Russian athletes are being held to a different standard than other national teams, which will compete under their own flags in Rotterdam.

“We believe this is a clear example of double standards,” the spokesperson said. “All athletes must be treated equally, regardless of nationality or political circumstances. If other national teams are allowed to compete, Russian gymnasts must have the same opportunity.”

LA28 Olympic Qualification on the Line

Aside from the medals at stake, this month’s opportunity includes the chance to qualify full teams to the 2028 Olympic Games.

If unable to field full competitive teams, Russia must seek alternative routes to qualify for the upcoming Olympic Games. Russia argues that the Dutch government is wielding too much power over the event.

“A country hosting an Olympic qualification event must not be allowed to determine who competes by withholding visas from leading athletes,” the federation argues. “We regard the handling of our visa applications as an attempt to exclude Russian gymnasts from the Olympic qualification process.”

With just days remaining, the Russian Gymnastics Federation calls on World Gymnastics and Dutch authorities to provide full issuance of its team’s visas.

“The partial issuance of visas does not solve the problem: our teams are unable to compete with their intended line-ups, and the delays have already disrupted their preparation.”