Indonesia to block Israeli team from gymnastics world championships in Jakarta

Indonesia will block Israeli athletes from competing at the upcoming gymnastics world championships in Jakarta, a government official says.

The decision to deny visas to the Israeli athletes comes after their planned participation had sparked intense opposition in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, which has long been a staunch supporter of Palestinians but whose president recently defended Israel at the United Nations.

Israel is among 86 countries registered to compete at the tournament that starts in Jakarta on October 19, with a team highlighted by 2020 Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion Artem Dolgopyat in the men’s floor exercise.

Now its participation is in doubt, even though the Israeli Gymnastics Federation said in July that it had been assured by Indonesian officials that it would be welcome at the worlds. That would have gone against Indonesia’s long-standing policy of refusing to host Israeli sports delegations for major events.

Today, Indonesia’s senior minister of law, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, makes it clear the Israeli team will not be allowed into the country, despite Israel and Hamas having agreed to a ceasefire.

“The government will not grant visas to Israeli gymnasts who intend to attend the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta,” Mahendra said.

He adds in a video statement that the decision is in line with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s previous directives on various occasions. But in his UN speech last month, Subianto also called for respecting Israel’s security and ended his speech with “Shalom.”

“We must also recognize, we must also respect, and we must also guarantee the safety and security of Israel. Only then we can have real peace,” Subianto said.

Mahendra acknowledged that the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation had previously submitted a sponsorship letter for six Israeli athletes to obtain visas, but that “the federation has withdrawn the sponsorship letter.”

In recent days, Indonesian politicians and moderate Muslim groups had increased calls for the Israeli team to be barred from the worlds. They have been joined by a flood of outraged comments on social media by users objecting to the arrival of athletes from a country they say is committing genocide, an accusation Israel adamantly rejects.

The Israeli Gymnastic Federation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The gymnastics spat is the latest example of how the global backlash against Israel over the war in Gaza has spread into the arenas of sports and culture.