Rodionenko says Rotterdam worlds will retain Olympic qualifying status

The Rotterdam artistic gymnastics world championships will retain their qualifying status for the 2028 Olympics, Russian coach Valentina Rodionenko told TASS on October 14, following a Russian Olympic Committee demand for a review.

The championships run from October 17 to 25, 2026. Rodionenko said the top three teams would secure Olympic places. She described a field of 12 teams at the Games, with the next nine places to be decided at the 2027 world championships in China.

The Russian Olympic Committee's proposed appeal followed the Netherlands' refusal to issue visas to Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova and Anna Kalmykova. Sports Minister and committee president Mikhail Degtyarev announced on October 13 that the committee would ask the International Olympic Committee and World Gymnastics to remove the event's qualifying status.

Rodionenko said a change had been considered and then abandoned. This is her account of the situation, rather than a separately published ruling by the international bodies. The Los Angeles Olympics are scheduled for July 14–30, 2028.