The Russian gymnastics world champion Angelina Melnikova will probably not take part in the final of the German Gymnastics League in Heidelberg. Her appearance in mid-November caused a lot of discussion.
“No, she won’t.” With these words, Tatjana Bachmayer confirmed to “Deutsche Welle” that the superstar in her team would not be competing in the final of the German Gymnastics League (DTL) in Heidelberg. Deutsche Welle journalist Jonathan Crane shared this information on the “X” platform.
Bachmayer is a coach at TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz, whose squad also includes Angelina Melnikova, who is controversial because of her political stance. The 25-year-old Russian has shown her support for the Putin regime several times in the past, which has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine since February 2022.
No official statement yet Melnikova launch
Melnikova’s non-participation is not yet official. “The DTL currently has no official statement or announcement from TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz about whether Angelina Melnikova will start or not,” a spokesman for the German Gymnastics League told SWR Sport.
However, it is nothing unusual that the DTL was not informed of the squad decision in advance. Melnikova has a starting ticket and should therefore compete. The decision for this lies with the club.
Discussions about the commitment of world champion Melnikova
The commitment of the Olympic champion from Tokyo 2021 and Jakarta all-around world champion in October 2025 by the TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz club and the announcement that the Russian would start in the German Gymnastics League caused a stir and heated discussions.
Melnikova is considered a supporter of the Putin regime and was herself a candidate for the Putin-loyal Russian party “United Russia” for local elections in the Voronezh City Duma. In addition, on May 9, 2022 – two and a half months after the start of the Russian 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.
Nevertheless, the world gymnastics association FIG classified the Russian gymnast as a so-called “neutral athlete”. When asked by SWR, the association did not want to give an explanation as to how the classification came about.
Melnikova started in Esslingen in mid-November
On November 15th, Melnikova competed for TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz in the German Gymnastics League. In Esslingen, the Russian won her competitions on parallel bars and beam, only being beaten by her teammate Karina Schönmaier on vault.
Before her first appearance in Esslingen on the uneven bars, Melnikova only wanted to talk about sporting matters in the SWR interview. “I’m happy to be here. I can start in the Bundesliga for the first time.” She said she liked Germany and the Germans. “I have good memories of the 2019 World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart.” When asked whether she felt like a neutral athlete, the Russian said briefly: “No comment.” No comment.
The police were warned that there could be protests against the Russian woman’s performance, even if no demonstrations were registered. Some officers positioned themselves in front of the hall. There were no demonstrations or protests that afternoon.
Broadcast on Saturday, November 15, 2025, 7:30 p.m., SWR Aktuell Baden-Württemberg, SWR BW
