Israel says badminton player can’t get visa for worlds

Meanwhile, Yuni Kartika, a spokeswoman for the Indonesian Badminton Association, has also confirmed that Zilberman is yet to be granted a visa.

An Israeli badminton player looks set to miss next week’s world championships in Indonesia after authorities failed to grant him a visa.

Most of the world’s most elite badminton players will be at the tournament, but one notable exception might be Israeli player Misha Zilberman.

OCI secretary general Gili Lustig said Zilberman had been waiting in Singapore for two weeks after making an initial visa application six months ago.

The CEO went on to question Indonesia’s standing in the world if the decision remains upheld, saying that it would raise questions about whether or not Indonesia is the right place to hold such prestigious events.

Israelis who wish to visit the country must obtain a special visa in Bangkok or Singapore after getting a sponsorship letter from Indonesian officials.

The week-long world championships begin on Monday.

Singer also accused the Badminton World Federation, which is organizing the Jakarta games, of responding to the Israeli athlete’s exclusion with inaction.

“If athletes are excluded on political grounds, at the very least there should be some soul-searching going on”, he continued. Singer said the incident “casts a shadow” on the sporting event and that BWF’s failure to use its leverage on the matter “speaks volumes”.

Zilberman can close in on a berth at the Rio 2016 Olympics with a couple of wins in Jakarta, but would have faced a tough test against Hsu even in the best of times, not to mention in his current situation.

“They won’t give me a visa to participate in the world championship!!” he wrote.

The BWF has not commented on the issue.

Lustig said the visa delay had prevented Zilberman from properly training for the championships.