Sports Minister Anurag Thakur cancels Asian Games 2023 trip after China bars three Indian Wushu athletes from Arunachal
The Hindu
Indian sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh denied entry to Asian Games, leading to govt's protest & Sports Minister's visit cancellation. MEA lodged strong protest & OCA & Games organising committee made statements on inclusivity but refused to comment on issue. Host China gave diff. visas, but Indians didn't accept. Accreditation acts as visa in multi-discipline events. Govt protests China's "targeted & pre-meditated" discrimination.
The denial of entry to Indian Wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh on Friday led to Union sports minister Anurag Thakur cancelling his visit to the Asian Games event as the government registered an official protest at the decision.
The three — Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu – were refused despite having e-accreditations from the organisers.
While Wangsu could not board the flight at all, the other two were told they could only travel to Hong Kong. With no further development and their event scheduled for Sunday, it seems unlikely they will be able to participate.
The same athletes had earlier been given stapled visas for the World University Games in Chengdu with India withdrawing the entire Wushu contingent in protest.
“The Government of India has learnt that the Chinese authorities have, in a targeted and pre-meditated manner, discriminated against some of the Indian sportspersons from the state of Arunachal Pradesh... In line with our long-standing and consistent position, India firmly rejects differential treatment of Indian citizens on the basis of domicile or ethnicity...,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on the issue.
“A strong protest has been lodged in New Delhi and Beijing against China’s deliberate and selective obstruction of some of our sportspersons... Further, as a mark of our protest against the Chinese action, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports of India has cancelled his scheduled visit to China for the Games...,” he added.
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