The International Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has rejected the Israeli Gymnastics Federation’s urgent applications against the exclusion of Israeli athletes from the World Gymnastics Championships in Indonesia.
The Israeli Gymnastics Federation had demanded that the World Gymnastics Federation FIG guarantee the participation of its own athletes in the Gymnastics World Championships in Indonesia starting on Sunday or that the event be canceled or postponed. The CAS rejected the urgent application, but stated in a press release on Tuesday (October 15, 2025) that the appeal process was continuing.
Last Thursday, the government of Muslim-dominated Indonesia announced that it did not want to allow gymnasts from Israel to enter the World Cup starting on Sunday (October 19, 2025). The visas were not granted, said Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra. The decision was based on the Gaza war.
DTB wants to CAS decision don’t comment at first
When asked on Tuesday, the German Gymnastics Association initially did not want to comment on the CAS decision. The DTB reacted to the Indonesian government’s decision on Monday with incomprehension. The association sees “There is no basis for exclusion as, to our knowledge, there has been no decision by the World Gymnastics Federation in this regard“, the DTB told the sports show.
The Israeli association had previously asked the DTB as well as other European national associations and the World Gymnastics Federation FIG for support. The FIG had already indicated last week that it was not planning any measures against Indonesia’s actions. It said in a statement that they had “taken note of the Indonesian government’s decision”.
The association emphasized to the CAS that the issuance of visas by the Indonesian authorities was completely outside its responsibility.
In 2023, Indonesia was deprived of the U20 World Cup in football
It is not the first time that attitudes towards Israel have influenced the hosting of a major sporting event in Indonesia. In 2023, Indonesian politicians spoke out against Israel’s participation in the run-up to the U20 World Cup in football. Ultimately, the world association FIFA withdrew the World Cup from the country – it took place in Argentina instead.