The Israeli Gymnastics Federation (IGF) has warned a ‘dangerous precedent’ has been established following the decision to block its athletes from competing at the upcoming world championships.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected an appeal earlier this week after Israel asked the International Gymnastic Federation (FIG) to guarantee its participation, or move the event, which is set to start on Sunday in Jakarta.
Indonesia’s government refused to grant visas to Israeli gymnasts, and the Swiss-based CAS said on Tuesday that FIG was forced to concede it has no control over Indonesia’s visa policies.
In its reaction to Indonesia’s move, the FIG did not threaten to take the event away from Indonesia as stipulated in its statutes for cases where the host refuses to issue visas.
Indonesia’s decision to deny visas came after Israel’s planned participation sparked intense opposition in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, which has long been a staunch supporter of Palestinians.
Israel is among 86 countries registered to compete at the worlds, with a team featuring 2021 Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion Artem Dolgopyat in the men’s floor exercise.
IGF secretary general Sarit Shenar said that its athletes ‘just want to participate’ but the decision to deny them visas represented ‘a very slippery slope’ for sport in general.
‘Our biggest fear is that this type of event can go on and can just be a setup example,’ Shenar said.
‘That if it happened in World Championship and gymnastics, what’s next? It can be in any discipline, in any sport, in any competition. This precedent is very dangerous.’
Indonesia decided not to issue visas to the Israeli athletes, senior legal affairs minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said, citing objections from groups such as a council of Islamic clerics and the government in Jakarta.
The Gaza war has faced strong criticism in Indonesia, even after a recent ceasefire took effect.
The gymnastics spat is the latest example of how the global backlash against Israel over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza has spread into the arenas of sports and culture.
Israel’s two most recent World Cup qualifiers against Norway and Italy were preceded by a series of protests, while Pro-Palestine supporters forced the abandonment of the Vuelta a Espana’s final stage last month after they targeted an Israeli-backed team.
FIFA and UEFA have both come under pressure to ban Israel from competing but Gianni Infantino has so far resisted calls to take action.
The FIFA president told his organisation’s ruling council recently that football ‘cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values’.
‘At FIFA, we are committed to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world,’ he added. ‘Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity.’