Published: 20 June 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
Bali governor spearheads refusal to host Israeli athletes.
With a tourism-dependent economy that was crippled by the pandemic, Bali’s winning bid last July to host the World Beach Games announced to the world that the island was back open for business. But Bali’s hosting rights for the event are on a knife-edge.
Last year, the Indonesian Olympic Committee gave assurances that qualifying athletes from all countries would be accepted at the games. But Bali’s governor, Wayan Koster, has now said Israeli athletes are not welcome, citing a preamble to the Indonesian Constitution calling for the universal abolition of colonialism and the country’s immutable support for Palestinian statehood.
“I remain consistent in refusing the Israeli team’s participation in the 2023 World Beach Games in Bali,” he told The Jakarta Post in April.
The constitutional preamble has prevented Israeli passport holders – even if they are Palestinians – from visiting Indonesia since the Jewish state declared independence in 1948.
A small number of Israeli athletes have, however, circumvented the ban. They include Misha Zilberman, who secured a visa to compete at the 2015 Olympic-recognised Badminton World Championships and, more recently, four Israeli cyclists who competed in the World Cycling Championships in Jakarta in February.
Indonesia lost the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in May after two provincial governors, including Koster, refused to host Israel.
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Ban on Israelis could see Indonesia lose World Beach Games (Aljazeera)
If Bali loses hosting rights for the Olympic-recognised event, it could hurt the country’s standing, analysts warn.
Photo: World Beach Games in Doha in 2019
