'Premeditated': India lodges protest as China bars 3 Arunachal Pradesh athletes from Hangzhou Asian Games

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, September 22

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday cancelled his visit to China to protest Beijing’s denial of accreditation to three sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh for participation in the Hangzhou Asian Games.

In July, Anurag had announced the withdrawal of the entire wushu team after three of its members who were from Arunachal were given stapled visas for participating in the World University Games in Chengdu. The same three sportswomen of the wushu team have now been denied accreditation. The Chinese have now denied them accreditation to the games, which effectively denies them entry as accreditation serves as a visa. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India had lodged a strong protest with China, with New Delhi “reserving the right to take suitable measures to safeguard its interests”.

Violates spirit of Games

The Chinese action banning Arunachal players violates both the spirit of the Asian Games and the rules governing their conduct as rules prohibit discrimination against competitors from member states. Arindam Bagchi, EAM spokesperson

This is the second time in three weeks that India has lodged a diplomatic protest with China. Earlier, it was the first country to react strongly to a new Chinese map that included vast tracts of maritime domain and terrain that is claimed by other countries.

Later, almost 10 countries also protested against the Chinese map. In a statement, Bagchi 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.” He had made similar observations when stapled visas were offered to the three members of the Wushu team from Arunachal.

Asked about the denial of accreditation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the Chinese government had never “recognised” Arunachal Pradesh. “As the host country, China welcomes athletes from all countries to the games using legal identification. The Chinese government has never recognised so-called ‘Arunachal’. The area of Zangnan is Chinese territory,” she said.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu also criticised the Chinese move as “against the established diplomatic norms” and in “utter disregard for the spirit of sports”.

Not the first time

• It is not the first time that such Chinese action with regard to athletes from Arunachal Pradesh has surfaced
• In July, India had cancelled the trip of its wushu team to Chengdu for the World University Games when Beijing issued stapled visas to the same three players

Athlete goes incommunicado

Wushu athlete Mepung Lamgu has gone incommunicado after being denied visa to travel to China for the Asian Games, leaving her family members in Arunachal Pradesh worried and clinging to hope that she wouldn’t take any ‘wrong step’