- The IOC’s Executive Board declared it would suspend all dialogue with the Indonesian Olympic Committee regarding future Olympic games bids until Indonesia can guarantee that athletes of all nationalities will be allowed to compete.
- Indonesia defended its decision, saying the visa refusal was consistent with its constitutional commitment to support Palestinian independence and maintain public order — a policy the country says takes precedence over sporting ambitions.
In a dramatic escalation of sport and politics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has effectively warned global sports federations to avoid hosting events in Indonesia after the Southeast Asian nation refused entry visas to the Israeli gymnastics team for the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta. The IOC statement, delivered on 22 October 2025, underlined that all eligible athletes must be able to participate regardless of nationality, and that Indonesia’s visa denial constituted a breach of the Olympic Charter’s principles of non-discrimination, autonomy and political neutrality.
Indonesia’s refusal to accept the Israeli delegation comes amid the country’s strong public and governmental advocy of Palestinian rights. The Indonesian senior legal affairs minister referenced objections from clerical bodies and government authorities when announcing the visa ban.
The decision has major ramifications. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, had positioned itself as a leading candidate to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. The IOC’s suspension of any form of dialogue over future Olympic and Youth Olympic bids has effectively derailed those ambitions unless Jakarta reverses course and provides guaranteed access for all athletes.
The Indonesian stance is rooted in a long-standing solidarity with the Palestinian people. Jakarta has consistently refused to host sporting delegations from Israel, including in the 1962 Asian Games when Israel was excluded from competing in Jakarta.
Critics argue that the IOC decision reflects an uneven application of its own rules; despite repeated violations of host-nation access issues elsewhere, Indonesia is now singled out. Supporters of the Palestinian cause contend that sporting bans against Israel are a legitimate form of pressure, given the lack of accountability for human rights abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The immediate fallout includes the exclusion of Israeli athletes from this month’s World Gymnastics Championships, and the risk that international sports federations will reject Indonesia as host for future events. Indonesian Sports Minister Erick Thohir acknowledged the consequences but stated that national sporting policy cannot sacrifice constitutional principles, stating that hosting the Olympics is not the only way to “boost our national sports, economy and tourism … what’s more important is to … fight against the Israeli Zionist’s occupation.”
In light of this, the Palestinian solidarity network will likely view Indonesia’s move as a symbolic act of defiance against Israel’s international sporting legitimacy and the broader impunity it enjoys. However, the IOC stance places Jakarta in the position of choosing between its pro-Palestinian identity and its global sporting ambitions.
