Indonesia says it understands the consequences of its decision to block Israeli athletes from entering the country, but defends the move as part of its pledge to “maintain international order.”
In a post on Instagram, Indonesian Sports Minister Erick Thohir says that his country barred Israeli competitors from the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in order to maintain “security, public interest and public order.”
Thohir adds that Indonesia “understands that this decision has consequences.”
Yesterday, the International Olympic Committee said that due to the Indonesian move, the IOC would suspend any dialogue with Jakarta over hosting any Olympic or Youth Olympic events until the country promises to allow “all participants, regardless of nationality, to attend.”
The IOC also said it would call on all international sporting federations to follow suit in boycotting Indonesia as a host country for competitions and conferences.
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