Ban on Israeli gymnasts earns rebuke from Olympics body

Singapore/Jakarta: Indonesia appears to have wrecked its chances of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games and may lose other sporting events after another decision to deny visas to Israeli athletes.

Olympic gold medallist and reigning world champion Artem Dolgopyat is among the 12-member Israeli gymnastics team banned from competing at the world artistic championships in Jakarta this week because of Indonesia’s firm pro-Palestine stance.

In response, the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday suspended “any form of dialogue” with Indonesia about a 2036 Games bid. It has also recommended that the country be scrubbed from the list of potential hosts for tournaments that involve Olympic sports.

“The IOC very much regrets the situation, especially after the remarkable step towards a peace agreement at the peace summit in Egypt, as witnessed by the president of Indonesia,” the IOC said, referring to President Prabowo Subianto’s attendance in Sharm el-Sheikh.

While Indonesia’s effort to ban the Israeli gymnasts began shortly before the Gaza ceasefire deal was announced, the government has chosen to stay the course.

In 2023, Indonesia was stripped of the FIFA U-20 World Cup because of vocal opposition to the presence of Israel’s youth team, including from leading figures in the then-ruling party.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle’s own goal in soccer-loving Indonesia was widely seen as damaging to the party’s prospects at the 2024 national elections.

Prabowo, who is from the Gerindra party, has not shifted Indonesia’s support for the Palestinian cause, telling the United Nations General Assembly in a speech last month, “we will never be silent while Palestinians are denied … justice”.

But he offered the assembly something no other Indonesian leader has before – the promise to formally recognise Israel, albeit on the condition Palestine was granted statehood.

Prabowo’s first year in office has also been marked by attempts to elevate Indonesia’s status on the world stage by attending global summits, signing trade deals and meeting frequently with other world leaders, a contrast with former president Joko Widodo, who showed comparatively little interest in foreign affairs.

But the suffering in Gaza has been closely felt in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and gymnastics does not elicit the same fervour as soccer.

Indonesia is among the countries that have either confirmed or are considering a bid to host the 2036 Olympics, a list that also includes India and Qatar.

It remains to be seen whether Indonesians will be upset over the IOC’s stance on future sporting events and the 2036 Olympics.

Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir doubled down on Thursday, saying he was “not concerned” about the IOC rebuke and that the government had “strong reasons” for blocking the Israeli team.

“We understand that [our] decision has consequences,” he said.

The IOC said it could change its position if Indonesia gave “adequate guarantees that it will allow access to the country for all participants, regardless of nationality, to attend” events.

This week, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation moved to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus competing even as neutral athletes in the qualifiers for next year’s Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

The IOC banned Russians from competing under their own flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics owing to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. But the ISSF’s denial of athletes competing as neutrals appears at odds with the IOC’s directive for Indonesia to allow all athletes “regardless of nationality” to compete in tournaments.

The IOC has been contacted for comment.

with AP

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