Olympic berths and visa drama: Stage set for Rotterdam 2026

The world's elite are gathering in Netherlands for the 54th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, which will take place from 17-25 October. Besides 14 titles at stake, the event is the first major qualifyer for LA28.

The competition arrives amid significant administrative friction following the Dutch government's refusal to issue entry visas to key members of the Russian team, who were set to compete under neutral WG2 status. Defending world all-around champion Angelina Melnikova, Olympic champion Viktoria Listunova, and European champion Anna Kalmykova were officially denied visas, prompting Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev and the Russian Gymnastics Federation to petition the International Olympic Committee and World Gymnastics to strip Rotterdam of its LA28 qualification status.

Addressing the situation in a media statement on Wednesday, World Gymnastics clarified its position. "The issuance of visas to all participants is a process determined solely by the Dutch authorities," the governing body stated from Lausanne. "World Gymnastics is not in a position to explain why a select number of application requests have been refused. World Gymnastics remains in ongoing dialogue with the Dutch authorities, the Local Organising Committee, and the Russian Gymnastics Federation."

The organisation added, "World Gymnastics fully regrets the negative impact on the preparations of the Russian delegation and the confusion felt among the wider Artistic Gymnastics World Championships community."

Despite the high-profile rejections, 47 out of 61 Russian delegation members have now been granted entry. On the men's side, five of the six nominated athletes received visas: Ilia Zaika and Saveliy Syedin have now been officially cleared, joining young star Arsenii Dukhno, Sergei Naidin, and Daniel Marinov, which leaves only reserve Mukhammadzhon Iakubov awaiting a decision. However, the women's lineup remains severely depleted, with only Alena Glotova, Liudmila Roshchina, reserve Milana Kaiumova, and extra reserve Elizaveta Us cleared to travel.

With Melnikova and Listunova sidelined, the women's tournament still features significant global depth. The United States, having captured every contested world team gold since the 2010 edition in Rotterdam, brings a young roster led by Paris Olympic team champion Hezly Rivera and highly anticipated newcomer Claire Pease. They face strong team opposition from Brazil, Italy, China, and Japan.

Individually, Brazil's Rebeca Andrade returns to the world stage as a heavy favourite on vault and balance beam, while also targeting the uneven bars. Algeria's Kaylia Nemour, the Paris 2024 uneven bars champion and recent Mediterranean Games all-around winner, aims to make history as the first African gymnast to secure a World all-around medal.

Italy's Manila Esposito, the reigning European floor champion, and Great Britain's Alice Kinsella — making her return to world competition following maternity leave — add further pedigree to the women's events.

The men's team contest is anchored by an epic East Asian rivalry, as defending World and Olympic champion Japan enters as the team favourite, headlined by three-time World All-Around champion Daiki Hashimoto and Paris 2024 Olympic all-around champion Shinnosuke Oka; China, meanwhile, will be without 2021 World champion and Aichi Nagoya 2026 gold medallist Zhang Boheng due to injury, but retains immense scoring potential through two-time Olympic and four-time World parallel bars champion Zou Jingyuan and 2021 World rings champion Lan Xingyu.

Great Britain — led by World champions Joe Fraser and Jake Jarman — and the United States, anchored by World all-around bronze medallist Frederick Richard, are also prime contenders for team hardware.

The men's apparatus finals offer stacked fields across all six disciplines. On the floor exercise, reigning World champion Jake Jarman will defend his crown against Philippine Olympic hero Carlos Yulo and Tokyo Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel. On pommel horse, Olympic champion Rhys McClenaghan of Ireland returns to challenge reigning World champion Hong Yanming of China, European champion Gabriele Targhetta of Italy, and Armenia's rising duo of Mamikon Khachatryan and Hamlet Manukyan.

The still rings title is up for grabs in the absence of injured defending champion Donnell Whittenburg (USA) . Three-time Olympic medallist Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece and China's Lan Xingyu face stern opposition from Armenia's Artur Avetisyan, the reigning 2026 European champion, alongside Russia's Ilia Zaika following his late visa clearance.

On vault, Carlos Yulo aims to retain his world title against a spectacular field featuring former World champion and returning silver medallist Artur Davtyan of Armenia and bronze medallist Nazar Chepurnyi of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Colombia's Ángel Barajas enters Rotterdam following a standout 2026 season in which he secured the overall World Cup series title on the parallel bars.

The Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist will attempt to upset Zou Jingyuan, reigning European champion Illia Kovtun of Croatia, and Ferhat Arican of Türkiye on the parallel bars, before bringing his high-flying difficulty to challenge Japanese stars Hashimoto and Oka on the high bar.