Israeli gymnasts Lihie Raz and Eyal Indig have spoken out after being barred from competing at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Indonesian government denied their visas, citing safety concerns, despite the Israeli team's own security clearance and assurances from their federation. The athletes described the decision as discriminatory and expressed disappointment with the international gymnastics governing body's response, which sided with Indonesia's reasoning.
The International Olympic Committee condemned Indonesia's actions and advised against scheduling major sporting events in the country, while the Israeli Gymnastics Federation filed an unsuccessful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Raz and Indig continued training in hopes of a last-minute reversal, but ultimately missed the competition. They have since returned to training, motivated for future events, and hope steps taken by their federation and the Olympic Committee will prevent similar incidents. The exclusion is part of a wider trend of restrictions faced by Israeli sports teams and fans internationally.

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