October 8, 2025 | 06:31 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono has spoken up about the rejection of religious organizations towards the plan of Israeli athletes to participate in the world gymnastics championship in Jakarta.
Sugiono stated that the world championship is organized by the Indonesian Gymnastics Association (Persani), so there is no request for permission from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"If, for example, they are accepted or not, it will be determined by whether they are granted a visa or not, and that is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said Sugiono at the State Palace, Jakarta, on October 8, 2025.
Sugiono redirected the issue to Persani or the Ministry of Immigration and Civil Registration. "The issuance of the visa is under the immigration authority," he said.
Tempo has sent a confirmation message to the Minister of Immigration and Civil Registration, Agus Andrianto. However, Agus has not responded at the time of writing.
Previously, the central leaders of Muhammadiyah and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) rejected the visit of the Israeli athletes to Indonesia.
The Head of the Central Leadership of Muhammadiyah, Anwar Abbas, stated that Indonesia is known as an anti-colonial country and highly respects and upholds humanitarian and justice values. Meanwhile, Anwar said, Israel is a colonizing country and does not respect and honor human beings and humanitarian values.
Anwar mentioned that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) military operation in Gaza over the past 2 years has killed at least 66,000 people. This number does not include those who are sick and injured. "So, the presence of Israeli athletes to compete in the world championship to be held in Jakarta should be rejected," said Anwar to Tempo on October 8, 2025.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of MUI, Amirsyah Tambunan, urged all parties to reject the arrival of Israeli gymnast athletes as a form of support for the liberation of Palestine from all forms of colonization. "It should be rejected because my arguments are in accordance with the constitutional mandate, that independence is the right of all nations. Colonization must be abolished because it is not in line with humanity and justice," said Amirsyah in Jakarta on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, as quoted from Antara.
According to Amirsyah, the rejection of Israeli gymnast athletes is to maintain the independence and good reputation of Indonesian sports in the eyes of the world.
According to the Israeli media outlet Jewish News Syndicate, several Israeli gymnasts will participate in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, from October 19 to 25, 2025. According to the report, the Israeli Gymnastics Federation has registered to participate in the championship.
The media claimed that Indonesia has informed the national gymnastics association in Israel that they will welcome Israeli athletes to the competition. "We are in direct communication with the organizers and are confident that external considerations will not affect this sport," said a spokesperson for the Israeli Gymnastics Federation as reported by JNS. "We hope the competition organizers will approve the participation of the delegation and security requirements to ensure that the delegation can participate safely in the championship."
One of Israel's leading gymnasts is the Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat. The Israeli gymnast has won gold and silver medals in Tokyo and Paris.
Dewi Rina Cahyani contributed to the writing of this article
Editor's Choice: Indonesian Ulema Council Rejects Israeli Gymnasts' Arrival in Jakarta
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