Sports Minister cancels Asian Games trip to China due to Arunachal athletes’ denial of visas

After three Arunachal Wushu athletes were refused regular Chinese visas to compete in the Games, sports minister Anurag Thakur canceled his trip to China for the Asian Games. Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, stated that India reserved the right to take actions to protect its interests.

“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. Government of India reserves the right to take suitable measures to safeguard our interest,” Bagchi said.
The MEA spokesperson said that India rejects the treatment of its players by Chinese Authorities.

“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 by denying them accreditation and entry to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China” he said.

“In line with our long-standing and consistent position, India firmly rejects differential treatment of Indian citizens on the basis of domicile or ethnicity. Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” Arindam Bagchi added.

Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu, two Arunachal Pradesh-born Wushu competitors who had been given the go-ahead to compete by the organizing committee for the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023, were unable to access their accreditation cards, which serve as visas for entry into China. Nyeman Wangsu, the third athlete, was informed that she would not be permitted to leave Hong Kong even though she had downloaded her accreditation. The athletes were expected to compete in the martial arts sport’s individual competitions.