22-9-2023 (NEW DELHI) India has cancelled the trip of its sports minister to the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, after Chinese authorities denied accreditation and entry to Indian athletes from the region of Arunachal Pradesh. The Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee had approved three women martial arts fighters from Arunachal Pradesh to participate in the games. However, these athletes were unable to download their accreditation cards, which serve as visas to enter China. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as “South Tibet,” leading to alleged discrimination against the Indian athletes. India’s foreign ministry spokesman condemned China’s actions, stating that they violated the spirit and rules of the Asian Games. A strong protest was lodged in both New Delhi and Beijing, resulting in the cancellation of the sports minister’s trip.
Wushu, a multi-disciplinary martial art originating in China, was the sport in which the Indian athletes were scheduled to compete. The rest of the Indian squad, along with the coaching staff, departed for the games as planned.
Before India’s foreign ministry statement, an official from the Olympic Council of Asia claimed that the trio had been issued visas and were not barred from entry. However, Indian officials refuted this, stating that the athletes had not accepted the visas due to the stapled format instead of pasted visas. This incident mirrors a similar situation in July when the Indian wushu team did not travel to Chengdu for the World University Games after the same three athletes were issued stapled visas, which implied that China does not recognize India’s territorial claim over Arunachal Pradesh.
Arunachal Pradesh, located on the other side of the Himalayas from Tibet, shares a Buddhist cultural heritage with its northern neighbor. The Dalai Lama fled through the state in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule and has since resided in India. China briefly occupied most of the territory in a conflict three years after the Dalai Lama’s escape. Earlier this year, China’s renaming of 11 places in the disputed region sparked a strong reaction from India.
