The world of international sports is once again grappling with the knock-on effects of geopolitics. The Indonesian authorities have refused to grant visas to the Israeli gymnasts for the upcoming 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, which is scheduled to be held from 19 to 25 October in Jakarta. The denial bars the six Israeli gymnasts, which includes Double Olympics medalist and Defending Champion Artem Dolgopyat from participating.
“The government will not grant visas to Israeli gymnasts who intend to attend the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta,” said senior Indonesian law minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra.
The reason cited was the long-standing Israel-Palestine conflict. Incidentally, Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation. They also don’t hold any diplomatic ties with Israel since Indonesia’s first President Sukarno decided not to recognise Israel as a nation.
Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) did file an appeal at the Court of Abbreviation for Sports (CAS), requesting the panel to either allow them to participate or relocate/cancel the tournament. The appeal was later rejected by CAS citing lack of jurisdiction.
“The requests for urgent provisional measures were considered by the Deputy President of the CAS Appeals Arbitration Division. Both requests have been rejected. The first appeal will be terminated due to a lack of jurisdiction. The second appeal is still ongoing,” CAS noted on Tuesday in a media release.
In that context, Indonesia’s Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir had also said that they stand by their decision and are ready to face the repercussions. “We are aware of the Israeli Gymnastics Federation’s plan to appeal to CAS. We are anticipating the lawsuit and will face it respectfully, following the rules and regulations of CAS and Indonesia.”
On Wednesday, Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) also released a statement, which in turn noted that they have no authority over visa allocation.
“The FIG has consistently emphasised that it has no authority over the issuance of entry visas in Indonesia,” the Federation said. “The decision of the Indonesian national authorities to deny visas to Israeli individuals lies entirely outside the FIG’s competence and control.
“The FIG deeply regrets this unfortunate situation and the impact it has on the affected athletes. It reaffirms its unwavering commitment to ensuring that all FIG competitions remain open to all eligible gymnasts in accordance with its rules and regulations, irrespective of their nationality or personal attributes.”
The IGF secretary general Sarit Shenar called it a dangerous precedent. “Athletes wanted to participate but visa denial is a very slippery slope in general for sports. Our biggest fear is that this type of event can go on and can just be a setup example,” she said, as quoted by the BBC.
“That if it happened in the World Championship and gymnastics, what’s next? It can be in any discipline, in any sport, in any competition. This precedent is very dangerous.”
Shenar also blamed FIG for not sticking to their words. ” FIG sent us a letter telling us everything is taken under control, that the authorities there gave an official letter that there will be no problem.
“There is no question who’s responsible for this mess in our eyes – FIG, a part of the International Olympic Committee. They should be obeying all the rules and not ignoring the Olympic Charter,” she noted.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Olympic floor-exercise champion Artem Dolgopyat took to his Instagram account to share his disappointment. “I am shocked and very saddened by the decision, and especially that I will not be given the opportunity to represent my country with honor and defend my world title, a title that I won on 07/10, as one of the hardest days we have known as a nation.
I and all the members of the team promise that we will continue to work hard every day, to put the israel flag as high as possible, and to continue to represent our country with dignity as well in the future,” he pointed out.
In the past, too, Indonesia’s political stance has resulted in tensions in the sporting world. The hosting opportunity of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2023 was stripped, and the 2023 ANOC World Beach Games got cancelled due to Indonesia’s similar objections over Israeli participation.
For all sports updates ,follow Revsportz