THE International Olympic Committee has expressed great concern over Indonesia’s refusal to issue visas for Israeli athletes at the upcoming gymnastics World Championships.
Indonesian authorities denied Israeli gymnasts entry visas last week for the championships starting on Sunday.
The Israeli Gymnastics Federation appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, demanding either athlete participation guarantees or event relocation or cancellation.
CAS rejected the appeal, meaning Israeli athletes will not compete in the October 19-23 championships in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.
The IOC stated it would discuss Indonesia’s specific situation at its next Executive Board meeting.
“The IOC’s principled position is very clear: all eligible athletes, teams and sports officials must be able to participate in international sports competitions and events without any form of discrimination from the host country,“ the IOC said.
“It is therefore the direct responsibility of the host country, the organiser and the sports organisations directly concerned to make sure that this principle is fully respected,“ it added.
“Sport must remain a safe space for athletes to fulfil their dreams; and athletes must not be held responsible for political decisions.”
Indonesia’s government cited support for Palestinians as the reason for denying Israeli gymnasts entry.
Israel has been at war with Palestinian armed group Hamas in Gaza for more than two years.
Gaza’s health ministry reports more than 67,900 people killed in the territory, with United Nations verification of these figures.
Israel launched the war following Hamas’s 2023 attack that killed 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP’s tally based on official Israeli data.
Indonesia withdrew from hosting the Association of National Olympic Committees World Beach Games in July 2023 amid controversy over Israel’s participation.
The country also lost hosting rights for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in March 2023 after two governors objected to Israel’s participation.
Both previous incidents occurred before the current Gaza war began. – AFP
