Russian gymnasts await visas ahead of Rotterdam world championships

The team is due to leave on October 11–12, but as of October 9 the timing of visa issuance remained unknown.

Russia’s artistic gymnastics team had not received visas for the Netherlands as of October 9, two days before its scheduled departure for the world championships. The Russian Gymnastics Federation said it had no information on when the visas would be issued.

The team is due to depart overnight on October 11–12. Official training begins on October 13, and the men are scheduled to test the competition floor on October 14. The federation warned that further delays could prevent the athletes from reaching Rotterdam in time to prepare.

The roster includes six men and six women, including reserves. The federation said all Russian athletes had qualified and were listed in the official World Gymnastics entries. They submitted complete documents between September 30 and October 5 after receiving invitations to the visa centre.

The federation said it had notified World Gymnastics and was working on the visa issue with Russia’s Foreign Ministry and federation president Morinari Watanabe. Former national team senior coach Valentina Rodionenko had earlier told RIA Novosti that October 9 would be the embassy’s last working day before the team’s departure.