Indonesia to block Israeli participation in gymnastics world championships in Jakarta
An Indonesian official says the country will bar Israeli athletes from the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta later this month, citing Indonesia’s support for Palestine and the global backlash over the genocidal war in Gaza.
Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the senior minister of law in Indonesia, clarified on Thursday that the Israeli team will not be permitted entry into the country, even though a ceasefire has been reached between the Israeli regime and the Hamas resistance movement.
“The government will not grant visas to Israeli gymnasts who intend to attend the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta,” Mahendra said.
He stated in a video announcement that the decision is consistent with the previous instructions given by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on several occasions.
Mahendra confirmed that the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation had earlier submitted a sponsorship letter for six Israeli athletes to secure visas; however, he noted that “the federation has retracted the sponsorship letter.”
The decision to deny visas to the Israeli athletes comes after their planned participation had sparked intense opposition in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.
Recently, Indonesian politicians and moderate Muslim organizations have amplified their demands for the Israeli team to be excluded from the international tournament.
A surge of indignant comments has emerged on social media from users and netizens opposing the arrival of athletes from an entity they argue is perpetrating genocide against the besieged Palestinians in Gaza.
The 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships is scheduled to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from October 19 to 25, 2025. The competition will take place at the Indonesia Arena.
Israel has become progressively more isolated on the international stage as the conflict in Gaza persists, with numerous countries striving to exclude Israel from various sporting and cultural events.
The Israel-Premier Tech cycling team announced in a statement on Monday that it will drop its ties to Israel from the 2026 season, following repeated pro-Palestinian protests against it at the recent Vuelta a Espana bike race.
The measure comes just weeks after pressure from its sponsors to change its name.
The team, which is based in the Israeli-occupied territories and owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, has been subjected to widespread criticism over Israel’s war on Gaza, where at least 67,194 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been killed.
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