Indonesia bans Israeli athletes from world gymnastics championships

ANKARA

Indonesia said Thursday that it banned Israeli athletes from taking part in the World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta later this month, state-run news agency Antara reported.

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said visas will not be issued to Israeli athletes to participate.

The tournament is set for Oct. 19 – 25.

Mahendra confirmed that the decision to withhold the visas also reflected the government’s careful response to pressure from religious groups, regional administrations and political parties.

He added that the policy had been coordinated with relevant authorities, including Minister of Immigration and Correction Agus Andrianto, who revealed that a gymnastics federation sent a sponsorship letter earlier to Indonesia to support visa applications for Israeli gymnasts.

“The federation later withdrew its sponsorship letter after recognizing Indonesia’s consistent stance of rejecting visa requests from Israeli athletes,” said Mahendra.

Although the statement did not identify the federation, it indicates it was likely the International Gymnastics Federation, which is organizing the upcoming world championship.

Earlier Wednesday, Jakarta Gov. Pramono Anung Wibowo announced that he would not allow Israeli athletes to come to the capital city.

“As the governor, I will certainly bar Israeli athletes from coming here,” he said.