★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★
≡ ANALYSIS & OBSERVATIONS ≡
One of the core values promoted by former International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) was this line, from his 2022 address to the Association of National Olympic Committees:
“Athletes should never be the victims of policies of their own government.”
In October 2023, the IOC, referring to the situation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, stated:
“[I]t cannot be up to the governments to decide which athlete can take part in which competitions. This would be the end of international sport as we know it.”
Now, just two years later, two IOC members seem to have forgotten this concept entirely:
● Indonesia’s Erick Thohir, the national Youth and Sports Minister, who joined the IOC in 2019 and backed the government’s decision to refuse visas to the six-athlete Israeli delegation for the FIG World Artistic Championships that start in Jakarta on 19 October.
He wrote on Threads:
“1. We express our appreciation to NOC Indonesia, Indonesia Gymnastics Association (Persani), and Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) as the world gymnastics federation that has understood this situation and taken the necessary steps to ensure that the World Gymnastics Championships can be run safely and orderly.
“2. Never doubt the commitment of the Government and Mr. President in building Indonesian sports to be able to stand in line with the nations of the world.
“3. Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, we in Kemenpora as part of the Government remain firm on that principle.”
● Japan’s Morinari Watanabe, the President of the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, an IOC member since 2018 and a candidate for the IOC Presidency last March. His federation, faced with the decision by the Indonesian government to refuse entry to Israeli athletes, issued a pathetic statement of capitulation on Friday:
“The FIG takes note of the Indonesian government’s decision not to issue visas to the Israeli delegation registered for the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics, which will be held in Jakarta from 19-25 October, and recognises the challenges that the host country has faced in organising this event.
“The FIG hopes that an environment will be created as soon as possible where athletes around the world can enjoy sports safely and with peace of mind.”
Both folded under threats of protests from anti-Israel forces in Indonesia, who has no diplomatic relations with Israel and refused to have Israeli teams compete there at the 1962 Asian Games and right up through 2023, when Indonesia had the FIFA U-20 World Cup revoked by FIFA for not allowing Israel to compete, and then pulled out as host of the ANOC World Beach Games in July with 32 days to go – over Israeli participation – leading to the event’s cancellation.
Indonesian officials didn’t care then and they don’t care now. The Times of Israel reported:
“Raja Sapta Oktohari, head of the national Olympic committee, said Indonesia was ready to accept any consequences for blocking the Israeli athletes from competing.
“‘We will review the consequences after the event,’ he said.”
¶
Israel, for its part, is filing an urgent appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the Israel Gymnastics Federation calling the ban “both outrageous and deeply troubling for the integrity of international sport,” and “We intend to challenge this decision with every means available.”
And the FIG has multiple options to try and correct its meek acceptance of Indonesia’s ban:
● It could turn around and order Indonesia to host all registered federations – Israel entered six athletes – or the Championships will be withdrawn and held elsewhere, in mid-November.
You would be amazed how quickly (1) a substitute host could be found, and (2) with Indonesia required to pay for all costs related to the change. FIG has plenty of money to absorb the immediate funding requirements.
● It could turn Bach’s approach to the Russian attack on Ukraine inside out and demand that Indonesia allow Israel to compete under a neutral flag, even though Israel was the country that was invaded on 7 October 2023 by Hamas, the ruling body of Gaza. Israel would probably not accept this, but it would save some face for FIG.
● FIG could turn the Indonesian ban around, and since they will not allow Israel to compete, then Indonesian athletes will not be allowed to compete in Jakarta.
But that’s punishing athletes for a governmental action, right? Well, Thohir and Watanabe don’t appear to remember much about that.
● FIG can suspend the Indonesian federation for its violation of FIG’s own rules as well as the Olympic Charter; a four-year ban would keep Indonesian gymnasts out of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
● FIG has awarded the 2026 Artistic Worlds to Rotterdam (NED) and 2027 to Chengdu in China. Why not award the 2029 Artistic Worlds right now to Israel – probably Tel Aviv – with Indonesia to pay all costs for the event. If it can’t stomach paying the Israel Gymnastics Federation directly, it can pay FIG and FIG will forward the money to the Israelis.
Those are just some of the possibilities.
¶
IOC President Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) now has new problems on her desk, starting with members Thohir and Watanabe, who have conveniently forgotten the IOC’s policy on athletes and government.
Further, there is the question of what to do about the National Olympic Committee of Indonesia, which backed the government’s Israel ban. Do they get off scot-free?
But the biggest problem is the Pandora’s Box that has been opened – once again – by Indonesia and FIG.
Thohir’s own, tone-deaf statement on Threads specifically noted, “Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, we in Kemenpora [Youth and Sports Ministry] as part of the Government remain firm on that principle.”
How stupid is that?
What Thohir has done is open the door once again to governments saying they won’t admit countries they don’t want for sporting events. This is exactly what Bach warned about and looking ahead to the 2028 Olympic Games, there are four countries/territories which the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with:
● Bhutan
● Iran (severed 1980)
● North Korea (severed 2018)
● U.N.-recognized territory of Palestine
Bhutan is a unique situation, with few formalized diplomatic ties by its own preference, but works with the U.S. through the Indian embassy. But is it now the right of the U.S. to follow the Indonesian lead and say it will not welcome Olympic athletes from Iran (40 athletes at Paris 2024), North Korea (16) or Palestine (8)?
The U.S. currently has suspended relations with Venezuela and does not formally recognize governmental entities in Afghanistan and Syria. And if the U.S. decided not to allow such countries to compete in Los Angeles, as Indonesia has done to Israel, a key U.S. ally?
That would be a horror for Coventry and the IOC would no doubt trigger serious discussions of boycotts by other countries sympathetic to those who might be refused entry.
So now, what Thohir, 55, and Watanabe, 66, have started could snowball into a much more dangerous situation for the IOC, for Indonesia, for gymnastics and for the Olympic Movement.
So now, what does Coventry and her IOC Executive Board, which meets next on 9-10 December in Lausanne, do about (1) gymnastics, (2) Indonesia, (3) Thohir and (4) Watanabe? Or how about right now, to try and diffuse the situation?
And it is not impossible that the Court of Arbitration for Sport could rule in Israel’s favor and tell the Indonesian National Olympic Committee and its gymnastics federation to allow Israel to compete.
If the Indonesian government refuses, then what?
There will then, no doubt, be a lot more “neutral” athletes in 2028. By the way, Indonesia sent 29 to Paris and won three medals. Will any be in Los Angeles in three years?
Rich Perelman
Editor
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
