The Israel Gymnastics Federation has announced it is appealing Indonesia’s decision to bar Israeli gymnasts from participating in the upcoming World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Jakarta, calling the move “outrageous”, Reuters reported.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, confirmed Friday it had denied visas to the Israeli athletes due to public backlash over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. As a result, Israeli competitors - including Olympic gold medalist Artem Dolgopyat - have been excluded from the international event scheduled to begin October 19.
In a statement issued Saturday night, the Federation condemned the decision as “both outrageous and deeply troubling for the integrity of international sport,” and said it had submitted an urgent appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. “We intend to challenge this decision with every means available,” the Federation stated.
The decision follows mounting pressure from Indonesian politicians, moderate Muslim groups, and widespread social media opposition. Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza makes the presence of Israeli athletes “deeply distressing” for Indonesians. “Their presence would obviously spark public outrage in such a situation,” Anung stated.
Indonesia does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, though it has been previously reported that Israel is in contacts to normalize relations with Indonesia.
Several years ago, then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo called on Muslim nations to unite in fighting Israel.
In 2021, the country’s foreign minister expressed her country’s firm position in support of the Palestinian Authority in ending the “Israeli occupation of its land”.
However, current President Subianto said recently that his country is ready to open diplomatic ties with Israel if it recognizes “Palestine” as an independent state.