Olympic Committee punishes Indonesia over Israeli athlete ban

The IOC cut all future hosting talks with Indonesia over its discriminatory stance.

By World Israel News Staff

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has formally banned Indonesia from hosting international sporting competitions after the Islamic country barred Israeli athletes from participating in an upcoming world gymnastics event.

Earlier in October, Jakarta refused to issue visas to Israeli athletes who had qualified for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

Despite appeals from Israeli authorities, Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim nation — maintained its refusal to allow the athletes’ entry.

The championships began last week, with Israeli competitors de facto banned from participating.

In response, the IOC declared that Indonesia had violated fundamental principles of equality in sport and the rules of international athletic competitions.

“All eligible athletes, teams and sports officials must be able to take part in international sports competitions and events without any form of discrimination by the host country,” the IOC Executive Board stated in a media release.

The committee announced that it would suspend all dialogue with Indonesia’s National Olympic Committee regarding any future Olympic Games, Youth Olympics, or other international events “until such time as the Indonesian government provides the IOC with adequate guarantees that it will allow access to the country for all participants, regardless of nationality.”

Israeli sporting officials welcomed the decision, condemning Indonesia’s actions to ban the Jewish state’s athletes.

“Global sport is based on clear rules, values, and strict adherence to equal opportunity and sportsmanship,” said Yael Arad, chair of the Olympic Committee of Israel (OCI), in a statement.

“The unequivocal statements regarding Indonesia’s disgraceful conduct resonate strongly in the field of sport,” she added.

In recent months, Israeli athletes have faced growing hostility in the global sports arena.

An Israeli cycling team was repeatedly attacked and harassed during the prestigious Vuelta bicycle race in Spain, and activist groups have called on FIFA and UEFA to ban Israel from international soccer competitions.