Three Indian martial arts athletes from territories claimed by China were forced to withdraw from the Asian Games in Hangzhou after being denied entry permission from the host country.
News media reported Friday (22/9) that the three female wushu athletes came from the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, a region almost entirely claimed by Beijing as “Southern Tibet.”
Wushu, or kung fu, is a multidisciplinary martial art that originates from China.
According to the Hindustan Times newspaper, the three were approved to take part by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, but were unable to obtain accreditation cards that serve as visas to enter China.
The rest of the 10-member Indian squad along with the coaching staff left for the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Wednesday, the newspaper said.
Neither the Indian Olympic Association nor India’s Ministry of External Affairs immediately responded to AFP’s request for comment.
The Indian wushu team did not travel to the Chinese city of Chengdu to attend the World University Games in July after the same three athletes were given stapled, rather than taped, visas – an indication that Beijing does not recognize India’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh.
The move sparked an angry reaction from India. India’s Foreign Ministry said the move was “unacceptable.”
Arunachal Pradesh is on the other side of the Himalayas and shares the same Buddhist cultural heritage as its northern neighbor.
The Dalai Lama fled through the state in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in his homeland and has lived in India since then.
Beijing occupied most of the region and sparked a bloody conflict, three years after the Buddhist leader left.
Earlier this year, India reacted strongly after China changed the names of 11 places in the disputed region.
New Delhi has consistently stated that its state has always been and will always be an “integral and inalienable part of India.” (ab/uh)