Russian seals Olympic spot in Germany despite visa rejection

A Russian and a Belarusian trampolinist have qualified for this summer's Paris Olympics at a competition in Germany, despite German authorities not giving them visas to enter the country. DW understands the Russian athletes taking part were instead issued visas by Spain, which granted them short-term access to Germany.

Iana Lebedeva from Russia and Ivan Litvinovich from Belarus, the reigning Olympic champion, amassed enough points at the weekend's World Cup event in Cottbus to secure spots at the Games. Both were competing as "Individual Neutral Athletes."

Ukrainian sports officials accuse the pair of supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, which would violate neutrality rules established by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), the body responsible for the event. A third neutral athlete, Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya from Belarus, also met the qualification criteria, although she doesn't face the same accusations as Lebedeva and Litvinovich. 

The Ukrainian officials condemned the participation of "representatives of terrorist countries." Fueling their anger was the news that the mother of one of Ukraine's trampoline team, Svitlana Malkova, was killed in a Russian missile strike on Mykolaiv on the eve of the competition.

"Under such circumstances, Svitlana Malkova has to go on the same field of play as athletes who support the war and, in fact, support the murder of her mother," read a joint statement from Vadym Guttsait, the president of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, and Matviy Bidnyi, Ukraine's acting sports minister.

"The whole team was shocked," said Regina Brailova, Malkova's coach. "Svitlana was hysterical. Trampolining is a very dangerous sport if you are in a bad psychological state. Because of this situation, it was very difficult for all Ukrainian girls to compete."

German authorities sidelined over visas

Germany has made a point of not wanting Russians and Belarusians to compete internationally.

Prior to the World Cup event, the German interior ministry told DW it hadn't issued visas to Lebedeva and Litvinovich, seemingly in keeping with a previous threat from Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, whose portfolio includes sport.

Last year, as some governing bodies relaxed their bans on Russians and Belarusians from international sport, Faeser suggested that by blocking visas, countries could use their own powers to deny such athletes the opportunity to participate in major events.

Nonetheless, Lebedeva and Litvinovich managed to find a way to circumvent the German authorities.

"According to local knowledge the athletes have Schengen visas issued by other member states," a spokesperson for the interior ministry told DW. "This entitles you to enter and stay in the entire Schengen area." 

The Schengen area is a border-free zone in Europe with no passport controls. It includes Germany and Spain, both signatories to a 2023 statement that expressed "concerns on how feasible it is for Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to compete as 'neutrals.'"

The spokesperson added that under the European Union's visa rules, short-stay visas generally don't require the approval of other EU countries.

'Z' symbol and propaganda events

However, Ukraine argues Lebedeva and Litvinovich shouldn't have been in a position to get to Cottbus in the first place.

In an open letter to both the FIG and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Guttsait and Bidnyi shared examples of how they said the pair had shown support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

They noted that Lebedeva (as well as three of her teammates who were also cleared to compete as neutrals by the FIG) had participated in a pro-war event in Krasnodar in May 2023, against the backdrop of a banner showing the letter 'Z,' a Russian military symbol.

Litvinovich, they said, "took part in propaganda events" with Viktor Lukashenko, the president of the Belarusian Olympic Committee, who is the son of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus is a major Russian ally.

Responding to Ukraine's accusations, the FIG told DW that its ad-hoc committee, which is responsible for granting neutral status to Russian and Belarusian gymnasts, had been passed the information on the athletes in question. All of them had had their "status verified in accordance with" the FIG's neutrality rules.

German federation opposes FIG's stance

The Ukrainian sports officials had also asked the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB) to intervene, calling on its president, Alfons Hölzl, to "undertake the actions in your authority not to allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes."

This letter garnered a more sympathetic response.

In his reply to the officials, a copy of which has been seen by DW, Hölzl explained that the event in Cottbus was run under FIG rules, adding that he and his organization took a "different position" to the FIG when it came to Russian and Belarusian athletes.

"We represent the majority opinion of European gymnastics, which has spoken out against the admission of athletes, coaches and officials," Hölzl wrote. "The DTB stands firmly on the side of Ukraine."

Depending on what the FIG's ad-hoc committee decides next, there could yet be a positive outcome for Ukraine.

If a gymnast who was granted neutral status is later found to have broken the rules, they would be disqualified and their results wouldn't count, the FIG said. For the World Cup event in Cottbus, that would result in Lebedeva and Litvinovich losing their Olympic spots.

In any case, the IOC will have the final say on who gets to compete in Paris. Last week, it announced the formation of its own three-person panel, which will determine the eligibility of all qualified neutral athletes.

Edited by: Matt Pearson