The Russian all-around world champion Angelina Melnikova will compete for TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz in the German Gymnastics League on Saturday in Esslingen. She is considered a supporter of the Putin regime.
On the website of the Russian party “United Russia”, which is loyal to Putin, Angelina Romanovna Melnikova looks serious. “Voronezh Oblast, Constituency No. 23” is written in the text next to her profile picture for the local elections for the Voronezh City Duma deputies. In the summer, Melnikova said she withdrew her candidacy for sporting reasons. The Olympic champion of Tokyo 2021 and Jakarta all-around world champion In October 2025, she is still listed as a candidate on the party homepage – including her introduction videos.
Melnikova’s political stance is well known. On May 9, 2022 – two and a half months after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine – she posed at the parade for the so-called “Victory Day” with the pro-war symbol “Z” in her hand and posted the photo on her Instagram account. The Russian does not hide her support for the Kremlin regime.
Chemnitz trainer Bachmayer: “Not a political statement”
For TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz, currently the best team in the women’s German Gymnastics League (DTL), Melnikova’s commitment to Putin’s politics does not seem to be a problem. “We don’t want to make a political statement with your commitment,” Chemnitz coach Tatjana Bachmayer told SWR Sport: “For us it’s all about the sport,” said the successful coach from Karlsruhe. She doesn’t believe there will be any headwind from the audience or problems with other athletes: “I’m convinced that everyone will treat each other with respect in the hall during the competition.”
How Melnikova’s involvement came about
The idea for the involvement of the currently world’s best gymnast came from the Chemnitz team circle. Melnikova’s commitment is the result of a meeting between top gymnast Karina Schönmaier from Chemnitz, who speaks Russian herself and has family in Russia, her Belarusian coach Anatol Ashurkov and Angelina Melnikova on the sidelines of the Gymnastics World Cup in Paris in September.
During this conversation, Bachmayer reports, the idea came up that Melnikova could compete for Chemnitz in the German Gymnastics League. Around two months later, the Russian will actually appear in the colors of the Saxons at the fourth gymnastics league competition.
Angelina Melnikova at the World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta (Indonesia) in October. Melnikova competed as a neutral athlete and became world champion in the all-around.
Russian woman flies for Gymnastics league competition from Moscow
Chemnitz is thus breaking the previously prevailing attitude of gymnastics clubs not to allow athletes to be flown in from Russia for competitions. The DTL, which was informed by the club about Melnikowa’s planned involvement, is not very enthusiastic about the initiative from Chemnitz.
However, a DTL spokesman told SWR Sport that they had no control over this approach. The decision about the Russian world champion’s permission to start is bound to the regulations of the international gymnastics federation FIG. Bachmayer also retreats to this point of view: “We are sticking to the FIG’s decision,” she says. Melnikova is classified as a neutral athlete by the world association.
More international The gymnastics association does not want to comment
Nobody currently wants to comment on how it came about that Melnikova was found neutral by the international gymnastics federation despite her political commitment in Russia. The FIG explained to SWR Sport that the association does not comment on individual cases and referred to the so-called “ad hoc rules” that were developed specifically for this purpose.
At the opening press conference of the World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, FIG Secretary General Nicolas Boumpane explained that the applications for neutral status would be processed by an external agency on behalf of the FIG. This company specializes in checking content on social media or newspapers to see if they can find anything that could prove that this person supports the conflict (meaning Russia’s war against Ukraine). Based on the results, a report will be created. According to Boumpane, at the World Gymnastics Federation there is a group of several people who grant or reject the neutral status of the athletes based on this report.
Melnikova is already in Esslingen
Melnikova, who according to the German Gymnastics League has a starting ticket, is already in Esslingen. In her Instagram story on Thursday, the gymnast showed herself walking through the old town. According to SWR information, the Russian woman traveled from Moscow via Istanbul to Stuttgart on Wednesday. According to DTL, she has had a Schengen visa for a long time, which entitles her to enter the country. When asked by SWR, the Foreign Office said that this visa was not issued by a German authority. Just a few days ago, the EU Commission announced that the conditions for issuing visas to Russian citizens had been tightened. This is a necessary step for more security.
Host Berkheim is “torn”
The responsible police headquarters in Reutlingen told SWR Sport that the event in the hall in Esslingen-Weil would probably be secured with a police patrol. Demonstrations against Melnikova’s appearance have not yet been registered. The host club TSV Berkheim described Melnikowa’s participation on its Facebook page a few days ago as a “sporty hammer” and advertised with a photo of the 25-year-old. But people are now also aware of the political dimension. Club spokesman Holger Bentzien told the Stuttgarter Nachrichten that it was a double-edged story and that they were torn, adding: “She is a controversial personality.”
Broadcast on Saturday, November 15, 2025, 7:30 p.m., SWR Aktuell Baden-Württemberg, SWR BW
