October 22, 2025
JAKARTA – Olympic gold medalists Kaylia Nemour of Algeria, Shinnosuke Oka of Japan and Carlos Yulo of the Philippines are defending their titles at the 53rd International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, which opened on Sunday and runs until Oct. 25.
This year’s edition brings together a dynamic mix of rising contenders and established champions, marking a key stop in the new Olympic cycle.
Oka, who swept three gold medals in the all-around, horizontal bar and team events at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, joined floor and vault champion Yulo in the men’s qualifiers on Sunday.
In the women’s qualifiers, Zhou Yaqin of China, an Olympic silver medalist on the balance beam, faces off against Júlia Soares and Flávia Saraiva, stars of the Brazilian team that took home an Olympic bronze last year.
Among the most anticipated is Asia D’Amato of Italy, a Tokyo 2020 Olympian and three-time European champion, who is mounting a comeback after missing both the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Olympics due to injury.
One of the top favorites is Nemour, the 2024 Olympics’ uneven bars champion and the first African gymnast to win an Olympic medal, who continues her meteoric rise that began with her 2023 world breakthrough.
Russian and Belarusian gymnasts, including world medalist Angelina Melnikova, are competing as neutral athletes, in keeping with FIG guidelines.
The top 24 all-around gymnasts, limited to two per country, will advance to the individual all-around finals, with the men’s competition set for Wednesday and the women’s on Thursday. The top eight athletes on each apparatus, also capped at two per country, will qualify for the apparatus finals on Friday and Saturday.
Routines typically score in the mid-14s at this level, while the strongest performances can reach the 15-point range.
Historic run
A record 1,200 accredited delegates including 428 athletes, comprising 253 men and 175 women from 77 countries, are taking part in the championships, hosted at the Indonesia Arena of the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex in Central Jakarta. Organizers have prepared more than 4,000 tickets for spectators.
On opening day, hundreds of spectators filled the stands to watch gymnasts from around the world compete for 12 world titles over the weeklong event.
“We are going to witness history in the making. This is the first time that the World Championships are held in Southeast Asia,” FIG president Morinari Watanabe said during Sunday’s opening ceremony.
Watanabe said earlier that the event aimed to raise greater public interest in gymnastics while building a lasting legacy through community outreach programs for children and the elderly, initiatives he hoped would also help ease social security burdens.
Indonesia Gymnastics Federation (FGI) chair Ita Yuliati called the championship a milestone in the nation’s history in the sport.
“We hope this championship will not only be a stage to showcase excellence but also a journey where stories and inspiration are born to empower young gymnasts,” she said.
The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Taufik Hidayat, National Olympic Committee (NOC) Indonesia chief Raja Sapta Oktohari, National Sports Council (KONI) head Marciano Norman and around 30 foreign ambassadors.
A moment of silence honored Indonesian gymnast Naufal Takdir Al Bari, who passed away last month after sustaining a neck injury during training in Russia.
Visa controversy
The international artistic gymnastics event in Jakarta has also been marked by controversy over Israel’s exclusion.
Two days before the event, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed regret over Indonesia’s decision to bar Israeli athletes, saying the matter would be reviewed at its next executive board meeting.
On Saturday, the gymnastics world body stated that it and local organizers remained committed to upholding the Olympic Charter and the FIG Statutes, which guaranteed nondiscrimination and the safety of all participants.
FIG secretary-general Nicolas Boumpane said organizers had been ready to host the Israeli team, but the plans changed at the last minute following local opposition.
“We prefer when sport is sport and politics is politics,” Boumpane said on Saturday. “We would love to have everybody here, but it’s not possible as of today.”
Last week, Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra confirmed that no visas would be issued for members of the Israeli contingent.
The Israeli Gymnastics Federation then appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), asking that it either guarantee their athletes’ participation or order the event to be moved or canceled. CAS rejected the appeal.