The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has just imposed a penalty on Indonesia after the country refused to issue visas to the Israeli team of athletes to participate in the 2025 World Championship of Physical Education and Sports in Jakarta.
According to the IOC, the refusal to issue visas to Israeli athletes is a "violating Olympic spirit", going against the principle of equality and respect among member states. Therefore, Indonesia is suspended from hosting all events, conferences and tournaments in the IOC system until a new decision is made. The announcement was made after an IOC Executive Committee meeting held online in Berlin (Germany).
The penalty caused Indonesia to lose the right to organize the 2028 Olympic qualifiers and many other international tournaments. This is the second time the country's sports have suffered consequences due to issues related to Israel, after FIFA stripped them of hosting the 2023 U20 World Cup due to pressure from domestic Islamic organizations.
Responding to the incident, President of the Indonesian Olympic Committee Erick Thohir said: "The decision not to issue visas to the Israeli delegation was made for reasons of public security and order, while complying with the principles in the 1945 Constitution".
However, the IOC emphasized that discrimination based on nationality is unacceptable in the global Olympic movement.
Experts say this penalty could seriously affect the image of Indonesian sports and make it difficult for the Southeast Asian country to host major sporting events in the future.
