The Indonesian government said last week that it will not grant visas to Israeli gymnasts for the World Championships.
Posted on October 14, 2025
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected appeals by the Israel Gymnastics Federation to be allowed to compete at a world championships in Indonesia this weekend.
The CAS also rejected Israel's request to force the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to guarantee Israel's participation or, alternatively, cancel or move the artistic worlds, which begin on Sunday in Jakarta.
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The Indonesian government said last week that it will not grant visas to Israeli gymnasts, and the Swiss-based CAS said Tuesday that the FIG has claimed it has no control over Indonesia's visa policies.
In its reaction to Indonesia's move, the FIG did not threaten to take the event away from Indonesia as stipulated in its statutes for cases where the host refuses to issue visas. Israel wanted the FIG to “take note” of the government's statement being annulled, but the CAS also rejected that on Tuesday.
Indonesia's decision to deny visas came after Israel's planned participation sparked intense opposition in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, which has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinians.
Israel is among 86 countries registered to compete at the worlds, with a team that includes 2021 Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion Artem Dolgopyat in the men's floor exercise.
Now her participation is in doubt, even though the Israeli federation said in July that Indonesian officials had assured it that it would be welcome at the worlds. That would have gone against Indonesia's long-standing policy of refusing to host Israeli sports delegations at major events.
The gymnastics dispute is the latest example of how the global backlash against Israel over the humanitarian cost of the war in Gaza has spilled over into the realms of sport and culture.
