Israeli badminton player cleared to enter Indonesia
Israeli badminton player has been Misha Zilberman cleared to enter Indonesia to participate in the World Badminton Championships in Jakarta following reports that the Indonesian authorities were unwilling to grant him a visa.“
Misha Zilberman Photo: Wikipedia
We are glad that this matter has been resolved and that Misha Zilberman can now compete in the World Badminton Championships in Jakarta,” said World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer, who issued a statement last week calling for the Indonesian government to grant the Israeli athlete a visa.
“On behalf of the World Jewish Congress, I would like to thank the Indonesian authorities who granted him the entry visa, as well as all those who worked for a resolution of this matter. We believe that it is important that politics and sport are kept separate as much as possible.
“As a matter of course, athletes who have qualified for an international sporting event should be allowed to travel and take part in it, regardless of the country they represent,” said Singer.
Zilberman had been waiting in Singapore to fly to Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim country – for two weeks after making his initial visa application six months ago.
The week-long world championships begin yesterday and Zilberman is set to compete today.
Robert Singer, why on earth should we thank the Indonesian authorities for granting an entry visa to Misha Zilberman? His entry, together with other athletes who qualified for the event, should have been automatic, a foregone conclusion. It would be more appropriate for them to apologise for their temerity in holding up Zilberman’s visa.
We have nothing to thank them for.