The Russian gymnastics world champion Angelina Melnikova will not take part in the final of the German Gymnastics League in Heidelberg. This is now official.
The Russian gymnastics world champion Angelina Melnikova will not take part in the final of the German Gymnastics League in Heidelberg. Her appearance in mid-November caused a lot of discussion.
Angelina Melnikova will not take part in the final of the German Gymnastics League (DTL) in Heidelberg. Gabi Frehse, managing director of TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz, confirmed this to the DTL on Tuesday. “We as a club have decided that we will not let Angelina compete for her own safety, the safety of our gymnasts and the entire final in Heidelberg,” Frehse is quoted as saying in a statement.
The “Deutsche Welle” and then also SWR Sport reported on the case on Monday. The statement continues: “The club emphasized that the decision only serves to protect those involved and that there are no other reasons under sports law.”
Melnikova reacts with an Instagram post
Melnikova herself has now also reacted and confirmed via Instagram that she will not be at the final in Heidelberg.
There had been repeated criticism of Melnikova 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.
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; on vault she was only narrowly beaten by her teammate Karina Schönmaier. She wasn’t one of the best athletes on the floor.
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 Tuesday, November 25th, 2025, 10:50 a.m., swr.de/sport: Will Angelina Melnikova start in the final of the German gymnastics league?
