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

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld a ban preventing Israeli athletes from competing in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, set to begin in Indonesia on Sunday, after rejecting an appeal filed by the Israeli Gymnastics Federation (IGF).

The decision, announced by the Lausanne-based CAS on Tuesday, came after Indonesian authorities refused to issue entry visas to Israeli gymnasts last week.

BREAKING: The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected Israel’s appeal to force Indonesia to let its gymnasts compete.

Jakarta refused to grant them visas — the court ruled it can’t make a sovereign nation open its borders. https://t.co/138hmhnoyg

— Ahmed Eldin | احمد الدين (@ASE) October 14, 2025

In response, the Israeli federation petitioned CAS to order the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to “guarantee the participation of the Israeli team” or to “transfer or cancel the championships,” according to the Middle East Monitor (MEMO).

Two Appeals Rejected

CAS said in a statement that it had rejected two appeals by the IGF for provisional measures.

The first appeal, filed on 10 October 2025, is against FIG “requesting the annulment of the FIG statement issued the same day, ‘taking note’ of Indonesia’s decision not to issue visas to the Israeli delegation.”

The second appeal, filed on 13 October 2025, “is joint with six Israeli athletes who qualified for the championships … and is also against the FIG.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejects Israel’s appeals to compete at this weekend’s World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta after Indonesia refused to issue visas to Israeli athleteshttps://t.co/B2UuaDzNxf

— TRT World (@trtworld) October 14, 2025

“This appeal requests that CAS orders FIG to take the necessary measures that guarantee Israeli participation in the championships, or in the alternative, to move or to cancel the championships,” the statement said.

‘Lack of Jurisdiction’

It noted that the IGF argued in their appeal that the FIG Statutes require the FIG Executive Committee to pass a decision in case entry visas are not granted to all participating delegations.

“They also argued that the absence of a decision constitutes a denial of justice, thus creating a situation of discrimination against a member association. The FIG emphasized that it has no prerogatives in the issuance of entry visas in Indonesia and that the fact that Indonesian authorities have refused to grant visas to Israeli individuals falls entirely outside the competence of the FIG,” the statement added.

It concluded that both requests “have been rejected,” adding that the first appeal “will be terminated due to a lack of jurisdiction” while “the second appeal is still ongoing.”

‘End of Road’ – Israel

On Tuesday, IGF General Secretary Sarit Shenar told Reuters, “For this world championship, this is the end of the road.”

According to the Anadolu news agency, the Indonesian Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra confirmed last week that the decision to withhold the visas 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 report stated.

‘Game Over’: FIFA is under Increasing Pressure to Expel Israel

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

“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.

The report also noted that 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.

Past Controversies

Al Mayadeen reported that the dispute echoes past controversies involving Israel’s participation in international sporting events hosted by Indonesia.

The report stated that in July 2023, Jakarta withdrew from organizing the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) World Beach Games following public opposition to Israeli involvement.

Similarly, in March that year, Indonesia’s hosting rights for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup were withdrawn after two provincial governors objected to Israel’s inclusion.

Israeli Cycling Team Withdraws from Italian Races over Protest Concerns

This development adds to the growing international backlash against Israel over its two-year genocide in the Gaza Strip that has killed close to 68,000 Palestinians.

In other sporting arenas, the report added, the Israel Premier Tech cycling team recently dropped its branding after being excluded from an Italian race due to fears of protests.

Israel’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Italy is also expected to draw large-scale pro-Palestine demonstrations, the report stated.

(PC, Anadolu)