Court of Arbitration for Sport upholds ban on Israeli gymnasts at World Cup in Indonesia

(AFP) The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the exclusion of Israeli gymnasts from the World Cup in Indonesia, scheduled for Oct. 19–25, according to a ruling released Tuesday.

After Indonesia refused to grant visas to Israeli gymnasts, the country's gymnastics federation appealed to CAS, asking it to order the urt to force the international federation to "guarantee the participation of the Israeli team in the World Cup" or else "delete or cancel the championship".

The CAS, which reviewed the case urgently, said the precautionary requests “have been rejected,” without providing further details, as the World Cup is set to begin Sunday in Jakarta.

According to AFP, the CAS is still reviewing one of two appeals filed by the Israeli federation and six qualified Israeli athletes for the World Cup, including Artem Dolgopyat, the 2023 world champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist on floor exercise. 

The case constitutes "a situation of discrimination" 

The Israeli federation says the statutes of the International Gymnastics Federation (IGF) require its executive committee to “make a decision” when athletes are denied visas, and that the lack of such a decision is "a denial of justice," and created a "situation of discrimination against a member federation.”

For its part, the IGF, according to the CAS statement, argues “that it has no prerogatives in the issuance of visas for entry into Indonesia” and that the decision of the Jakarta authorities “is completely outside its competence.”

Indonesia refuses to maintain "contact with Israel"

Last Thursday, Indonesian Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra announced that his country, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, “will not maintain any contact with Israel until Israel recognizes the existence of a free and sovereign Palestine," and said it was denying visas to Israeli gymnasts for this reason.

The next day, the IGF merely “took note” of Jakarta’s decision, without explicitly criticizing it or considering relocating the competition.

The body expressed its hope "that an environment will be created as soon as possible where athletes from all over the world can practice the sport safely and with peace of mind."