Indonesia bars Israeli gymnasts from Jakarta World Championships

Indonesia announced Thursday that it will deny visas to Israeli gymnasts, blocking their participation in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships set to open in Jakarta on October 19, the government’s senior minister for law said. Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the government would not grant visas to the Israeli delegation and that the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation had withdrawn a sponsorship letter for six athletes who had been registered to compete.

The decision follows intense public opposition in Indonesia to the planned participation, officials said. Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung told reporters that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has caused deep emotional distress among Indonesians and that the presence of Israeli athletes would “obviously spark public outrage in such a situation.” The country’s highest Islamic clerical body had urged exclusion of the team, and social media reactions to theIsraeli delegation’s planned arrival drew hundreds of critical comments, federation officials said.

The Israeli Gymnastics Federation had said in July it was assured by Indonesian officials that its delegation would be welcome, but organizers and government ministers later said...