Indonesia cancels visas of Israeli worlds team

[QuietColours]

The AP article says the Indonesian gymnastics federation withdrew their letter of support after protests and that visas will not be granted

The Kompas article says that the visas were cancelled, indicating they were already issued.

 

[Doug1233]

IIRC Australia refused visas to Chinese gymnasts for 2020 World Cup in Melbourne due to travel restrictions (Covid19)

At least that had a modicum of justification.

 

[Doug1233]

Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country. The government doesn’t recognize Israel.

Well it had already issued them visas, apparently.

 

[Lisaelaine80]

It sucks for the athletes but yeah Israel needs to face some consequences the same as Russia. USA also should have been blocked by countries who wanted to do so when Bush and Cheney were invading Iraq. Nobody is obliged to host a nation who is actively committing genocide.

Not the same at all.

 

[Lisaelaine80]

Well it had already issued them visas, apparently.

Israel is a country regardless.

 

[Lisaelaine80]

I certainly have my own feelings about the actions of the Israeli government and the genocide of the Palestinian people.

However, this move comes off as extremely ill-timed and duplicitous and cannot be made on a country-by-country basis. This sets an extremely dangerous precedent for 2028 if it does not go unchecked.

Interestingly, Indonesia is making a bid for the 2036 Olympics. I’d say they completely torched their bid with this action. They pulled this same nonsense hosting the 1962 Asian Games (they also refused to honor Taiwanese visas), and were banned from the 1964 Olympics by the IOC until Japan stepped in.

Plenty of Israelis are murdered by terrorists.

 

[irichluck21]

I agree, Hamas killed plenty of Israeli innocents.

 

[JaJa]

I agree, Hamas killed plenty of Israeli innocents.

Its not just Hamas. Hamas was not the driving force behind the suicide bombing terror attacks in the early 2000s. Israelis have been the targets of terrorism and acts of war coming from virtually every single one of their Arab neighbors since the country was founded in 1948. They have not known one day of peace. This situation is in no way comparable to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

 

[JaJa]

This is not ok. They should cancel worlds altogether.

I agree. Its not ok at all and I hope the US boycotts worlds as a result.

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

Plenty of Israelis are murdered by terrorists.

Literally not my point.

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

Venezuelan baseball teens denied visas into U.S.

A Venezuelan baseball team has been denied visas into the United States and will miss the Senior Baseball World Series for players 13-16.

www.espn.com

Senegal women's basketball training in US cancelled after visas rejected

Players will train in Dakar instead "in a sovereign and conducive setting", says the prime minister.

www.bbc.com

Cuban women's volleyball team denied U.S. visa

The Cuban women's national volleyball team was denied a chance to play in a tournament in Puerto Rico following the new visa restrictions imposed by Trump.

www.espn.com

This is what will continue to happen en masse for Los Angeles if someone doesn’t step in about worlds.

 

[RedBirdie]

Let's not get bogged down in arguing over who has suffered more loss of life over the decades or who is or is not legitimate in their actions.

 

[JDB]

Revoking Israelis' visas at the last minute is manipulative. A country that can't host all FIG member-states eligible to compete shouldn't be permitted to host worlds.

 

[Aeris]

Not the same at all.

True, they shouldn't be considered the same, since the Israeli genocide of Palestine has created an immensely higher percentage of civilian casualties than the Russian genocide of Ukraine.

 

[Matilda23]

Jakarta was the only city willing to host 2025 worlds?

 

[Passion]

Jakarta was the only city willing to host 2025 worlds?

Yes.

For a while it was looking like there wouldn't be a Worlds at all this year, no one wanted to host it.

 

[OnlyBeansOnToast]

Whatever your view of the Israeli government's actions, a country hosting an international sporting event has to commit to letting in the athletes that the governing body says are qualified to be there. Letting the Indonesian authorities pull a stunt like this and get away with it sets an extremely dangerous precedent, and one that Indonesia (and nations it's more fond of) could very quickly find themselves on the receiving end of.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Whatever your view of the Israeli government's actions, a country hosting an international sporting event has to commit to letting in the athletes that the governing body says are qualified to be there. Letting the Indonesian authorities pull a stunt like this and get away with it sets an extremely dangerous precedent, and one that Indonesia (and nations it's more fond of) could very quickly find themselves on the receiving end of.

Yes, I'm never sure if advocates for Israel bans realise the extent to which that opens up the conversation about whether the invasion on 7th October, ensuing massacre and retaining of hostages for years thereafter would also be a disqualifier. I know there's no Palestinian delegation in gymnastics, but there is at the Olympics. And of course there's no guarantee that the line will be drawn exactly where you (general) think it ought to be.

It's something quite different to Russia because, whatever one's personal moral take, they have two instances of Olympic specific misbehaviour fitting within a framework that already exists.

On gymnastics specifically, maybe this is further evidence that a post Olympic worlds is moving towards being non viable. It doesn't look great, does it? I've been reticent to make that point because the last worlds that looked like a pointless shitshow in the run up was 2021 and that was actually great in a lot of ways. But perhaps we shouldn't be in denial.

 

[OnlyBeansOnToast]

And of course there's no guarantee that the line will be drawn exactly where you (general) think it ought to be.

As with oh so many issues, a lot of people seem to forget that people who take the opposite view to them are just as sincere in their belief that they're obviously morally right.

You can't say it's fine for Country A to arbitrarily ban Country B's national team from an international competition for political reasons because you don't like Country B, but then complain when Country C (who you don't like) bans Country D (who you support).

Those cheering Indonesia today need to recognise that plenty of people would think it equally justified to ban Iranian footballers from taking part in the World Cup next summer, or ban Palestine from LA 2028.

It's just as well for Indonesia that no host nations decided to stop their athletes travelling to the Olympics etc when Suharto was conducting a genocide against the people of East Timor.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

It's just as well for Indonesia that no host nations decided to stop their athletes travelling to the Olympics etc when Suharto was conducting a genocide against the people of East Timor.

Isn't it just. One wonders what survivors of the recent and essentially internationally unpunished East Timorese genocide would make of all this.