A star Russian athlete will make her debut in Germany’s gymnastics Bundesliga on Saturday, despite being labeled a “champion of terrorism” by Ukraine.
One of the world’s best gymnasts, 2020 Olympic champion Angelina Melnikova, has signed with TSV Tittmonning-Chemnitz for the last two rounds of the Bundesliga season.
Although the move is controversial, the 25-year-old is accused of favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin and supporting his war in Ukraine. He has also dabbled in politics with the ruling United Russia party.
Other Bundesliga clubs have questioned the wisdom of bringing in Melnikova to help Chemnitz clinch the title.
“There were only sporting reasons,” club coach Tatjana Bachmeier told DW. “We did not want to provoke anyone, and above all, we did not want to make any political statement. We know this could be seen as problematic. But for us, what matters is solidarity and international understanding in sport.”
DW has also requested comment from Melnikova through her new club but has not yet received a response.
Germany has previously taken a tough stance on letting Russian athletes back into competition, though that stance appears to be softening. Commenting on Melnikova’s Bundesliga participation, a German government spokesman said: “Sport should not be a vehicle for Russian politics, and we are also confident that this is not the case here.”
posing with military emblem
Melnikova was cleared to compete internationally as a “neutral” athlete by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in March, after spending three years only being able to compete in competitions in Russia.
However, Ukraine has questioned the granting of neutral status to Melnikova and urged the FIG to review its decision.
In a letter in April to the presidents of both the FIG and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Ukrainian sports officials listed several examples of how they said Melnikova violated neutrality rules that prevent Russian athletes from showing support for the war.
These included Melnikova posting a photo on social media with the letter “Z”, the Russian military symbol; Running training camps for children from military families; and raising funds for the daughter of a Russian soldier killed in the war. As a result, he is listed in the “Champions of Terrorism” database of Ukrainian military intelligence.
Earlier this year, Melnikova also ran as a candidate for Putin’s United Russia party in local election primaries. She won but withdrew her candidacy shortly afterwards, saying “It is difficult to combine politics with sports.”
Sporting-wise, that move paid off: Melnikova won her second all-around world title at the World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, in October and earned praise from Putin himself. In a congratulatory message later, he wrote, “Your victorious performance in person is a wonderful gift to your fans, coaches and mentors.”
Coup for Chemnitz
Melnikova’s signing could be seen as a coup for Chemnitz, after returning to the international stage with two gold medals and a silver in Jakarta. The club is looking to end the 13-year title winning streak of its Bundesliga rival, MTV Stuttgart.
Defending the move, the Deutsche Gymnastics League (DTL) told Ukrainian website Glavcom on Wednesday that it was only following the FIG’s eligibility criteria, which it had relied upon.
DTL President Michael Götz said, “We primarily see ourselves as organizers of sporting events and bridge builders, whose job is to provide a platform for all athletes to practice their sports in peaceful competition.” “We have neither the ability nor the authority to investigate or evaluate the political actions of individual athletes.”
However, DTL appears to have reversed its position, as an article published on its website on October 24 stated that Melnikova’s “admission contradicts the World Federation’s own neutrality norms, which exclude any military ties.”
DW asked FIG to explain why it granted neutral status to Melnikova but did not receive a response. The German gymnastics federation declined to comment, saying it was a DTL matter.
Felix Schwadorf and Tina Gerhauser contributed reporting to this article.
Edited by: Jonathan Harding