TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 01: Artem Dolgopyat of Team Israel celebrates winning gold in the Men’s Floor Exercise Final on day nine of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on August 01, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Israeli gymnasts will officially be excluded from competing at the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The prestigious competition, scheduled to begin in just five days, from October 19 to October 25, will feature the top athletes from over 86 nations.
After Indonesian authorities shockingly rejected the visas of Israel’s six qualified athletes last Thursday, the Israel Gymnastics Federation escalated its defense, filing two urgent appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The IGF first filed to CAS on October 10, “requesting the annulment of the (International Gymnastics Federation’s) statement” issued the same day. The FIG has provided minimal comment on the matter, only stating that the governing body had ‘taken note’ of Indonesia’s decision not to issue visas to the Israeli delegation. The FIG also did not respond to my multiple requests for comment.
Israel’s second filing was issued on October 13 jointly with the six participating athletes, including Olympic gold and silver medalist Artem Dolgopyat.
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 01: Artem Dolgopyat of Team Israel celebrates winning gold in the Men’s Floor Exercise Final on day nine of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on August 01, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Getty Images
This second appeal requested that the CAS order the FIG to “take the necessary measures that guarantee Israeli participation in the championships, or in the alternative, to move or to cancel the championships.”
However, the CAS confirmed Tuesday that the IGF’s two appeals for “urgent provisional measures” had been rejected.
“The requests for urgent provisional measures were considered by the deputy president of the CAS Appeals Arbitration Division. Both requests have been rejected,” CAS stated in a media release.
Though the first appeal was “terminated,” the CAS states that the second appeal is “still ongoing.” Thus, while the event will proceed from October 19 to October 25, further developments from the CAS are forthcoming.
Precedent for Israel’s Exclusion
This year’s event marks the first hosting of a world gymnastics championships for Indonesia, and it now comes with controversy. As the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia has long supported Palestinian causes.
Historically, Indonesia has barred Israeli delegations from competing on its soil for decades, beginning with its exclusion of Israel from the 1962 Asian Games, also in Jakarta. However, the Israel Gymnastics Federation claims it had been repeatedly reassured that its participation in this year’s event would be upheld.
The IGF confirmed that its athletes were granted visa entries on September 17, 2025, and “received confirmation from the Israeli Security Authorities to participate in the competition.” The IGF had “numerous discussions” with FIG President Mr. Morinari Watanabe, “in which the IGF was reassured of our participation in the event,” a federation spokesperson told me.
“Throughout this process, we were fully aware of the potential challenges related to the host country, yet we firmly believed that the universal values of sport would ultimately prevail.”