Three martial arts athletes from a region of India claimed by China were forced to withdraw from the Hangzhou Asian Games after failing to obtain accreditation from the host country, media reported Friday . The three sportswomen come from the state of Arunachal Pradesh, in the far northeast of India, a region almost entirely claimed by Beijing as “Southern Tibet”.
According to the Hindustan Times daily, the trio were allowed to participate by the Hangzhou Asian Games organizing committee, but were unable to download accreditation cards that serve as visas to enter China. The rest of the team, made up of 10 members, as well as the coaches, left on Wednesday to participate in the Games which open on Saturday, the newspaper said. In July, the Indian martial arts team did not travel to the Chinese city of Chengdu where the World University Games were being held, with the same three martial arts athletes receiving stapled visas, signaling that Beijing does not recognize not Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory.
The move sparked anger in India, with the Foreign Ministry calling it “unacceptable”. Arunachal Pradesh lies on the other side of the Himalayas from Tibet and shares a Buddhist cultural heritage with its northern neighbor. Earlier this year, India reacted sharply after China renamed eleven sites in the disputed region, saying the state of Arunachal Pradesh “is, has been and always will be an integral and inalienable part of India “. Beijing briefly occupied most of the disputed territory in a bloody conflict in 1962 before retreating. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in his native country and has since found refuge in India.
In response, New Delhi canceled its sports minister’s trip to the Hangzhou Asian Games on Friday, saying Chinese authorities had denied accreditation and entry to its athletes from the state of Arunchal Pradesh, territory claimed by Beijing. “China’s action violates both the spirit of the Asian Games and the rules governing their holding, which explicitly prohibit discrimination against competitors from member states,” the Ministry of Affairs spokesperson said. Foreign Minister Arindam Bagchi in a statement, adding that the Sports Minister’s trip to attend the event was canceled.
At the same time, and this is where this conflict becomes greatly complicated, the Chinese Wei Jizhong, honorary vice-president of the Asian Olympic Committee (OCA), denied that the three athletes were refused their accreditation for the Asian Games. in Hanghzou. “These Indian athletes already had their visa to enter China. China has not refused any visas,” he said during a press briefing in Hangzhou. “The problem is that according to Chinese government regulations, we have the right to grant different types of visas. We have entry visas, paper visas… But let it be very clear: the Chinese government has given them a visa, they can enter China. But unfortunately, these athletes did not accept this visa,” he assured.
Asked about this matter during the press briefing of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, spokesperson Mao Ning said that “China welcomes athletes from all countries with legal documents to come to Hangzhou and participate in the Asian Games.” While adding, very clearly on the subject: “The Chinese government does not recognize the so-called Arunachal region that you mention. Southern Tibet is part of China.