Nation Banned From Olympics Over Israel Row Takes Controversial New Action
Israeli athletes have been denied entry into Indonesia ahead of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
The event is set to get underway in Indonesia next week, but the nation explained that it would not grant visas to Israeli athletes - including defending world floor champion Artem Dolgopyat – because of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
This comes after the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) lodged an appeal branding the move as “outrageous” and “deeply troubling for the integrity of international sport”.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the IGF’s requests on Tuesday (October 14) with the Israeli federation saying it was “deeply disappointed” by the ruling.
Advert
According to BBC Sport, a second appeal will not be heard before the start of the event on Sunday.
An IGF statement read: "The rules are clear, and Indonesia's actions constitute a blatant violation of them.
"It is inconceivable that a country can bar another nation from competing in a World Championship while the governing bodies stand by.
"This decision undermines the very foundations of sport and fair competition, and it delivers a severe blow to the morale of the gymnasts and staff who have worked tirelessly for this moment."
Meanwhile, Dolgopyat, who was one of six athletes who submitted requests to CAS, took to Instagram, voicing his concerns about the “recent decisions that could negatively impact the future of all our delegations and the future of sport in general”.
The 28-year-old is a two-time European champion as well as an Olympic silver medallist.
Indonesia, which is a predominantly Muslim country, shares a close relationship with the State of Palestine and currently does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.
In 1964, Indonesia was banned from the Olympics after refusing entry visas for Israeli athletes for the 1962 Asian Games.
Then, in 2023, Indonesia was stripped of its right to host the Under-20 World Cup after the governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, refused to host the Israeli team.
FIFA then handed the hosting rights to Argentina for the tournament, which was eventually won by Uruguay, while Israel finished third.
Since the Israel-Gaza conflict, several countries have called for Israel to be banned from sporting competitions such as the World Cup and Olympics in a similar fashion to Russia’s ban following the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
More than 67,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the two-year conflict, according to Palestinian health authorities.
In September, the UN commission of inquiry declared Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Topics: Gymnastics
Luke Davies