MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) will appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Gymnastics Federation (World Gymnastics) with a request to strip the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam of its status as a qualifying event for the Olympics, Sports Minister and ROC head Mikhail Degtyarev said.

Earlier, TASS reported that the Dutch embassy refused to issue visas to Olympic champions Angelina Melnikova and Victoria Listunova, as well as Anna Kalmykova.

"In connection with the decision of the Dutch authorities to deny visas to the leaders of the Russian women's artistic gymnastics team - Angelina Melnikova, Victoria Listunova and Anna Kalmykova - the Russian Olympic Committee will today immediately contact the International Olympic Committee and World Gymnastics, demanding that the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam be stripped of their qualifying status due to the non-participation of the world's leading athletes from Russia, and also demanding that measures be taken to ensure equal participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic selection process," Degtyarev wrote on Telegram.