{"id":94061,"date":"2025-10-23T21:05:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T21:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/94061\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T21:05:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T21:05:08","slug":"how-the-ioc-is-punishing-indonesia-for-barring-israeli-athletes-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/94061\/","title":{"rendered":"How the IOC is punishing Indonesia for barring Israeli athletes \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The International Olympic Committee took swift action<\/a> against Indonesia for denying visas<\/a> to Israeli athletes set to compete in the 53rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships being held in Jakarta through Saturday.<\/p>\n

Topping the list? Indonesia\u2019s bid<\/a> for the 2036 Summer Games has been halted. <\/p>\n

So, likely, has hosting any other international sports events or meetings.<\/p>\n

And Indonesia\u2019s national Olympic committee as well as the International Gymnastics Federation are being summoned to the IOC\u2019s Swiss headquarters to explain why the Israeli team wasn\u2019t allowed to compete.<\/p>\n

The actions were taken by the IOC Executive Board, which hadn\u2019t been scheduled to meet until early December. But just days after issuing a statement<\/a> promising to take up the issue, the board, led by new IOC President Kirsty Coventry<\/a> of Zimbabwe, met remotely.<\/p>\n

\"\"A security guard walks past a pommel horse at the venue prepared for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at Indonesia Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. | Dita Alangkara, Associated Press <\/p>\n

\u201cThe IOC EB took the opportunity to remind all Olympic Movement stakeholders of the importance of free and unfettered access to the respective country for all participants to attend international competitions without restrictions,\u201d a statement released Wednesday<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

The discussion, sparked by what the IOC said was the cancellation of visas for Israeli athletes by the Indonesian government, included \u201cboth this specific situation and the recurrent global issue<\/a> regarding athletes\u2019 access to international competitions,\u201d according to the latest IOC statement.<\/p>\n

Indonesia\u2019s senior minister of law, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, announced earlier this month in an Instagram post<\/a> that, translated, said the Israeli visas were being rejected \u201cin line with Indonesia\u2019s commitment to support Palestinian independence.\u201d <\/p>\n

Among the Israeli team members unable to compete is Artem Dolgopyat<\/a>, the defending world champion in the men\u2019s floor exercise and a gold medalist at the 2020 Summer Games<\/a> in Tokyo that were delayed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

The Muslim-majority country\u2019s decision to deny the visas was not protested by the international gymnastics federation, known as FIG. In a statement<\/a>, the federation took \u201cnote\u201d of the decision and recognized \u201cthe challenges that the host country has faced in organizing this event<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The action<\/a> taken by the IOC Executive Board ends \u201cany form of dialogue\u201d with Indonesia\u2019s national Olympic committee about hosting any future Olympics or Olympic-related events until there are \u201dadequate guarantees” that all participants can attend, regardless of nationality.<\/p>\n

Olympic leaders also recommended that the international federations that control sports avoid Indonesia until they are given similar guarantees. The federations are also being asked to include a guarantee of athlete access in hosting agreements for future Olympic qualifying events.<\/p>\n

Indonesia\u2019s Youth and Sport Minister Erick Thohir said in a written response<\/a> Thursday to the IOC actions the government understood its decision to prevent the Israeli gymnastics delegation from entering the country would have consequences, The Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndonesia will continue to play an active role in various sporting events at the Southeast Asian, Asian, and world levels, so that Indonesian sports can be an ambassador and a reflection of the nation\u2019s greatness in the eyes of the world,\u201d Thohir\u2019s statement said.<\/p>\n

In September, the IOC president told reporters that with \u201cmore and more things that are not our proudest moments as humanity,\u201d leaders had reaffirmed<\/a> that ensuring sport can continue to \u201cbuild a better world\u201d is a top priority. <\/p>\n

Concerns were raised in an IOC statement<\/a> then about \u201cthe disruption of competitions across the world, the restriction of access<\/a> to host countries for athletes, and the boycotting and cancellation of competitions due to political tensions,\u201d without naming offenders.<\/p>\n

Indonesia has consistently refused<\/a> to host Israeli delegations since the 1962 Asian Games, according to the AP, and previously lost a soccer world cup event in 2023 \u201camid political turmoil regarding Israel\u2019s participation.\u201d<\/p>\n