Sports Minister Boycotts Asian Games Trip To Oppose China’s Discrimination

China’s discrimination has sparked a controversy at the International level. Read on to know why the Indian Sports Minister boycotted the Asian Games in China!

Indian Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has called off his planned visit to China for the Asian Games. You might wonder why he did so! Actually, it is a form of protest or boycott.

What happened is, three Wushu athletes from Arunachal Pradesh were denied regular Chinese visas to participate in the Games.

The Ministry of External Affairs S. Jaishankar stated that India has the right to take measures to protect its interests. India has clearly stated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India. Thus, there is no sense restricting these athletes for the Asian Games.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, expressed India’s rejection of the treatment received by its players from Chinese authorities.

He revealed that the Chinese authorities had discriminated against Indian sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh by denying them entry to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The issue arose when two of the Wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu, were unable to download their accreditation cards, which serve as visas to enter China.

These 2 athletes had already received approval to participate from the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 Organizing Committee.

A third athlete, Nyeman Wangsu, could download her accreditation, but she was informed that she would not be allowed to travel beyond Hong Kong.

These athletes were scheduled to compete in individual events in the martial arts sport. The Ministry of External Affairs disclosed that a formal protest had been lodged both in New Delhi and Beijing in response to China’s selective obstruction of Indian sportspersons.

Bagchi pointed out that China’s actions violated the spirit of the Asian Games and the rules governing their conduct, which explicitly prohibit discrimination against competitors from member states.

Thus, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur decided to cancel his visit to China. India has a strong stance against any form of discrimination against its athletes. The country is always committed to safeguarding their interests.

China is so eager to assert control over India’s Arunachal Pradesh that it is attempting to ban Indian athletes (who belong to Arunachal Pradesh) from participating in an international event of the Asian Games.

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China is trying to restrict the athletes who had already received approval from the Asian Games Committee. Despite this, China is engaging in such unfair actions.

China’s discrimination on the international stage clearly demonstrates that it has violated the rules and the entire system of the Asian Games.

It is possible that the Asian Games Committee may not be able to take immediate action against China because this is a matter between two countries.

However, in the future, the other international sports bodies, including the Asian Games Committee, may decide not to hold such events in China. Additionally, there may be questions raised about China’s participation in the Asian Games in future.