BERLIN, Oct 14 — The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday it has rejected two appeals by the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) for provisional measures in their effort to compete at the upcoming artistic world championships in Indonesia, reported the German Press Agency (dpa).
The IGF filed a complaint against the world governing body, FIG (the International Gymnastics Federation), at CAS after Indonesia's government said last week that it would not issue visas to Israeli gymnasts qualified for the seven-day worlds in Jakarta, which start on Sunday (October 19).
In the first appeal, the IGF sought to have a FIG statement nullified that said it had "taken note" of the government decision. But the CAS said the appeal was fully turned down due to a lack of jurisdiction.
The second appeal, from the IGF and six qualified athletes led by floor exercise world and Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat, was to make CAS order the FIG to either guarantee Israel's participation or, alternatively, cancel or move the worlds.
While the request for provisional measures was dismissed, the CAS said the appeal remains ongoing.
Israel said that under FIG statutes, a decision from the executive committee is required if visas are not granted to all participating teams. It argued that the absence of such a decision amounts to a denial of justice and discrimination against a FIG member.
The FIG argued that visa issues are entirely outside of their competence.
Indonesia is the world's most populous nation with a Muslim majority and has backed the Palestinians for a long time. Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that the Gaza war ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will not change the visa denial.
