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Liputan6.com, New Delhi – India’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday (22/9/2023) that it had lodged a protest with Beijing after three of its athletes were unable to enter China to participate in the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The three female martial artists are from the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, a region that China claims as Zangnan or Southern Tibet.
Indian media reported that the three men were allowed to participate in the sporting event organized in the eastern Chinese city by the organizing committee of the 19th Asian Games. However, they were unable to download their accreditation cards, which serve as visas to enter China.
Reported SCMPOn Sunday (24/9), a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that his country welcomes athletes from all countries with valid official documents.
“The Chinese government has never recognized that the regions known as Arunachal Pradesh and Zangnan are part of Chinese territory,” underlined the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning.
Meanwhile, a senior Asian Olympic Council official denied the ban on the three athletes and said they had been granted visas to compete in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
“These Indian athletes were given visas to enter China. China has not refused any visas,” said Wei Jizhong, honorary vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
“But unfortunately these athletes did not receive visas.”
