Indonesia Barred From Hosting 2025 Gymnastics World Championships After Denying Visas to Israeli team
JAKARTA, Indonesia – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has condemned Indonesia’sโ decision to deny visasโ to Team Israel for the 53rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, scheduled to take place in Jakarta in โคOctober 2025, resulting in the country being stripped of its hosting rights.
“It is inconceivable that a โcountry can bar another nation from competing inโ aโข World Championship while โthe governing โฃbodies stand by,” the IOC statedโข via the BBC.”This decision undermines the very foundations of sport โand fair โcompetition, andโ it delivers a severe โblow to the morale of the gymnasts and staff who have workedโข tirelessly for this moment.”
The sanction follows a similar incident in 2023,โข when Indonesia was stripped of its right to host football’s Under-20 World Cup after the governor of โฃBali refusedโฃ to host Team Israel in a game.
the latestโค actionโ against the Indonesian โGymnastics Federation (IGF)โฃ isโข part of a broader trendโ of restrictions placedโค onโ Israeli sports teams and fans โin recentโค months. The Israel Premier Tech cycling team โwas excluded from the Giro dell’Emilia โrace in Italy on October 4 due โto concerns over potential pro-Palestinian protests.
In September, the UEFA Europa League reportedly โconsidered a vote โto suspend Israel over theโ war in โฃgaza, but FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on October 3 that โขno action would be taken. He later met privately with Palestinian soccer federation โฃleader Jibril โฃRajoub, praising his institution “forโฃ their resilience at this time,” according to The Associated Press.
Fans of Israeli teams have also faced restrictions, with supporters of Maccabi โคTel โAviv prohibited from attending aโ Europa league game in Birmingham, England, on November 6, following an attackโฃ on the team’s fans in โAmsterdam last fall.
the recent ceasefire brokeredโ last week sawโ Hamas โrelease 20 hostages held in Gaza, while israel โreleased nearly 2,000 Palestinian โคprisoners and detainees.