LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Court docket of Arbitration for Sport has rejected appeals by the Israel Gymnastics Federation to be allowed to compete at a world championships in Indonesia this weekend.
The CAS additionally turned down Israel’s request to pressure the Worldwide Gymnastic Federation (FIG) to ensure Israel’s participation, or alternatively cancel or transfer the inventive worlds, set to start out on Sunday in Jakarta.
The Indonesia authorities final week mentioned it won’t grant visas to Israeli gymnasts, and the Swiss-based CAS mentioned on Tuesday that FIG said it has no management over Indonesia’s visa insurance policies.
In its response to Indonesia’s transfer, the FIG didn’t threaten to take the occasion away from Indonesia as stipulated in its statutes for circumstances the place the host refuses to concern visas. Israel needed the FIG “taking note” of the federal government assertion to be annulled, however CAS additionally rejected that on Tuesday.
Indonesia’s choice to disclaim visas got here after Israel’s deliberate participation sparked intense opposition on the earth’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, which has lengthy been a staunch supporter of Palestinians.
Israel is amongst 86 international locations registered to compete on the worlds, with a staff that includes 2021 Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion Artem Dolgopyat within the males’s ground train.
Now its participation is unsure, though the Israel federation mentioned in July that it had been assured by Indonesian officers that it could be welcome on the worlds. That may have gone towards Indonesia’s longstanding coverage of refusing to host Israeli sports activities delegations for main occasions.
The gymnastics spat is the most recent instance of how the worldwide backlash towards Israel over the humanitarian toll of the warfare in Gaza has unfold into the arenas of sports activities and tradition.
Initially Revealed: October 14, 2025 at 1:11 PM EDT
