Indonesia 'closes door' to Israeli athletes at world championships

Israel was left helpless when six of its athletes were denied visas to attend the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Indonesia.

Israeli athletes cannot participate in the 2025 World Gymnastics Championships in Indonesia - Photo: AFP

Israel's bid to compete at the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta has officially been cancelled, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the country's appeal against Indonesia's refusal to grant visas to six athletes.

In a statement released late on October 14, CAS confirmed the rejection of two emergency appeals filed by the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF).

This means that six Israeli athletes, including Artem Dolgophyat, Eyal Indig, Ron Payatov, Lihie Raz, Yali Shoshani and Roni Shamay, will not be able to participate in the tournament taking place from October 19 to 25 in Jakarta (Indonesia).

Reacting to the decision, IGF Secretary General Sarit Shenar expressed deep disappointment. "For this World Championships, this is the final leg of the journey. We cannot ease the disappointment of the athletes," Shenar told Reuters .

She also expressed hope that this will be a lesson for the future of world sports. At the same time, she hoped that CAS would have stronger judgments against anyone who has crazy ideas to discriminate against any athlete, from any country, for any reason.

The Indonesian government had earlier decided to deny visas to the Israeli delegation. Notably, the Southeast Asian country’s decision was understood by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).

In an official statement, the FIG said it was aware of the challenges facing Indonesia as the host nation, and expressed hope “to soon create an environment where athletes around the world can enjoy sports safely and peacefully.”

THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/indonesia-dong-cua-voi-vdv-israel-tai-giai-the-gioi-20251015081047104.htm