The Croatian Embassy in Moscow has denied visas to nine members of the Russian delegation for the European Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Zagreb.
The Russian Gymnastics Federation announced on its website that nine of its 65 delegation members were refused entry. The embassy notice stated that the applicant had not provided justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay.
According to the federation, visa applications for all 65 delegation members were submitted at the same time with identical supporting documents. The remaining 56 members received their visas.
Federation response to visa refusals
The federation said the decision effectively prevents leading Russian female gymnasts from competing at the qualifying tournament. It added that such administrative decisions set a dangerous precedent and question equal qualification conditions for all national federations.
The European Championship takes place in Zagreb from August 13 to August 23. Russian athletes are scheduled to compete at the tournament without national symbols.
