Liputan6.com, Jakarta – Three Indian martial arts athletes from territories claimed by China were forced to withdraw from the Hangzhou Asian Games after being denied entry permission from the host country.

News media reported on Friday (9/22) that the three female wushu athletes came from India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, a region almost entirely claimed by Beijing as “Tibet from South “.

Wushu, or kung fu, is a multidisciplinary martial art originating in China, cited on the page VOA IndonesiaSaturday (9/23/2023).

According to the Hindustan Times newspaper, the three men were allowed to participate by the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games organizing committee, but were unable to obtain accreditation cards that act as visas to enter China.

The rest of the 10-member Indian team, along with the coaching staff, left for the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Wednesday, the newspaper said.

Neither the Indian Olympic Association nor the Indian Foreign Ministry immediately responded to AFP’s requests for comment.

India’s wushu team did not travel to the Chinese city of Chengdu to attend the World University Games in July after the same three athletes received visas stapled rather than registered – an indication that Beijing does not recognize the claims territorial territories of India over Arunachal Pradesh.

The move sparked an angry response in India. India’s foreign ministry said the move was “unacceptable.”

Arunachal Pradesh lies on the other side of the Himalayas and shares the same Buddhist cultural heritage as its northern neighbor.