After receiving outrage for their decision to ban Israeli athletes from the World Gymnastics Championships 2025, the Indonesian government has decided to respond to all the allegations. Erick Thohir, the current Minister of Youth and Sports in the Indonesian government, revealed the real reason behind excluding Israeli athletes from the FIG World Championships held in Jakarta, Indonesia.In a recent press statement, Thohir maintained that the decision was adopted by the incumbent government to maintain law and order. Thohir was backed by the governor of Jakarta, Pramono Anung, who spoke to the reporters,"The arrival of Israeli athletes would cause deep emotional distress to the majority of Indonesians amid an unbearable humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Their presence would obviously spark public outrage in such a situation."Minister Erick Thohir also maintained that the Indonesian government will stand by its decision, despite the possible consequences, which include a possible ban by the International Olympic Committee. The Minister of Youth and Sports wrote in one of his Instagram posts,"We understand that this decision carries consequences, where as long as Indonesia cannot receive Israel's presence, the IOC decides that Indonesia cannot host the world championship, Olympic events, Youth Olympic Games, and other activities under the Olympic umbrella." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe current edition of the World Gymnastics Championships will conclude tomorrow, i.e., October 25. Indonesia Arena at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex in Jakarta is hosting the 53rd edition of this event.All about the ban on Israeli athletes at the World Gymnastics Championships 2025Why Israeli athletes were banned from the World Gymnastics Championships 2025 [Image Source : Getty]Only days before the World Gymnastics Championships began in Jakarta, the six Israeli athletes were left stranded when the Indonesian delegation decided to withdraw the visas issued for the tournament. The Indonesian Gymnastics Federation had initially issued a sponsorship letter for the Israeli delegation, which would let them obtain a visa for the current edition of the World Gymnastics Championships.However, following public outrage, the Indonesian government withdrew the sponsorship letter. Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir mentioned in his Instagram post, as he wrote,"We in Kemenpora, as representatives of the Indonesian Government, adhere to the principle of maintaining safety, public order and public interest in every organization of international events. The move is in line with the provisions of the current legislative rule. This principle is also based on the 1945 Constitution, which respects general security and order and also the obligation of the Indonesian State Government to implement world order. On that basis, Indonesia took steps to avoid the arrival of the Israeli delegation at the Gymnastics World Championships."This is not the first time the Indonesian government has taken action against an Israeli delegation. In 1962, they banned both the Israeli and the Taiwanese teams from participating in the Asian Games held in Jakarta. The Indonesian delegation was suspended from the International Olympic Committee indefinitely. The ban was lifted only months before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.