Israel’s gymnasts will not be able to compete at the upcoming world championships in Indonesia after sport’s highest court on Tuesday rejected requests from the Israeli federation (IGF) to “guarantee the participation” of its team.
Indonesian authorities denied Israeli gymnasts entry visas for the championships later this month, before the IGF demanded the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) either guaranteed its athletes’ presence or to move or cancel the event.
The Israeli federation claimed the entry denials created “a situation of discrimination,” but the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said it had no jurisdiction to force Indonesia to issue visas.
“The requests for urgent provisional measures were considered by the deputy president of the CAS Appeals Arbitration Division. Both requests have been rejected,” CAS said in a statement.
The October 19-25 championships, in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, are expected to feature more than 500 athletes from 79 countries.
Israeli athletes were reportedly among those set to compete, but a cabinet minister said on Thursday the government would not allow them entry, citing support for Palestinians.
“The government will not grant visas to Israeli gymnasts who intend to attend the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta,” senior Indonesian law minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said Thursday.
In explaining its decision to bar the athletes, Indonesia, which has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, cited objections from groups such as a council of Islamic clerics and the local government in the capital Jakarta, where the championship will be held.
In an emailed statement late on Saturday, the Israeli federation called Indonesia’s decision “both outrageous and deeply troubling for the integrity of international sport.”
It said it had submitted an urgent appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking an injunction to allow Israeli athletes, including Olympic gold medalist Artem Dolgopyat, to participate in the competition.
“We intend to challenge this decision with every means available,” the group said.
The gymnastics spat is the latest example of how the global backlash against Israel over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza has spread into the arenas of sports and culture. Israel’s critics say it should be sidelined from international events just like Russia has been since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The cycling team, Israel Premier Tech, announced last week it was changing its name and moving away from its national identity after being excluded from a race in Italy over concerns about pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests, and less than a month after the Spanish Vuelta was repeatedly disrupted by protests against the team.
In soccer, Israel’s World Cup qualifying match Tuesday night is expected to attract more pro-Palestinian protesters outside the stadium in Udine than ticket-holding spectators inside the arena.
Indonesia was stripped of hosting rights for soccer’s Under-20 World Cup in 2023, only two months before the start of the tournament, amid political turmoil regarding Israel’s participation.
The country has drawn a clear line for decades, maintaining a consistent refusal to host Israeli delegations since the 1962 Asian Games when Israel and Taiwan were excluded from Jakarta.
Indonesia has no formal ties with Israel, but Israeli nationals or their sponsors, such as Indonesian-based businesses or Indonesian nationals, can apply for a short-term visa under the “calling visa” procedure.
Israeli nationals with dual passports can also enter Indonesia using their other passport.