Kremlin accuses EU of anti-Russian bias in sports

A Dutch denial of visas for leading Russian gymnasts is just the latest in a series of incidents The Kremlin has accused European countries of deliberately excluding the strongest competitors from international sporting events as part of a systematic attempt to manipulate results.

The majority of EU members have at some point refused entry to Russian athletes, despite them being cleared by their governing body to compete.

Croatia tried to prevent nine Russian gymnasts from attending this summer’s European Gymnastics Championships, the country’s junior and under-23 canoe slalom teams missed the World Championships in Poland, and Russian archers were unable to compete in a World Cup event in Spain because of visa problems.

Most recently, the Netherlands refused entry to Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova and Anna Kalmykova for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam from October 17-25.

The tournament forms part of the qualifications for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“There are clear attempts by certain countries to influence the outcome of competitions by deliberately excluding the strongest,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Read more Russia seeks to strip Dutch event of Olympic status over gymnast ban Such refusals contradict Olympic ideals and the principle that sport should remain outside politics, he said, adding that they also violate the responsibilities of countries hosting international competitions.

Russia will continue working with international federations and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to defend its athletes’ interests, he said.

According to the Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF), the visa refusal notices stated that “one or more Schengen member states” considered the three gymnasts “a threat to their international relations.” Melnikova is the reigning world all-around champion and won European all-around gold this year.

Listunova won Olympic team gold alongside her in Tokyo, while Kalmykova claimed European all-around silver this summer.

The RGF called the exclusions “direct discrimination” and a violation of equal conditions for Olympic qualification.

Sports Minister and Russian Olympic Committee president Mikhail Degtyarev announced that Russia would seek to strip Rotterdam of its Olympic qualifying status.

World Gymnastics expressed regret over the disruption to the Russian delegation’s preparations.

It said visa decisions rested exclusively with the Dutch authorities and that discussions with officials and organizers were continuing.