Disheartened Wushu Players from Arunachal Pradesh Denied Visa for Asian Games Return Home
Three female Wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh had to return home after being denied visas by Chinese authorities for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
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On Tuesday, three Wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh, who had their hopes set on participating in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, returned to their home state deeply disheartened. Their journey to the games was thwarted after Chinese authorities denied them visas.
The trio of female Wushu players, Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega, and Mepung Lamgu, had plans to fly from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Airport) to China on Wednesday night. However, their travel was marred by a series of unfortunate events. Two of the players were initially granted stapled visas by Chinese authorities, following their denial of accreditation by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC). However, the Indian government declined to accept these stapled visas, rendering the two players unable to board the flight.
The remaining player, who had received accreditation, faced a similar setback when it was discovered at the airport that her visa was valid only for Hong Kong. Consequently, she too had to abandon her journey to Hangzhou.
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In response to this disappointing episode, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur expressed his concerns, stating, “According to the Olympic Charter, visas were supposed to be granted. This was also the responsibility of the Asian Olympic Committee, and even China should have granted a visa for any athlete representing India from any part of the country. But the behavior was not appropriate. We did not accept the discrimination, and that’s why I want to reiterate, Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and will remain an integral part of India… India will not yield to such treatment.”
As a gesture of protest against China’s decision to deny accreditation and entry to the Indian Wushu team players for the Asian Games, the Sports Minister had canceled his planned visit to China for the event on the preceding Friday.
-IANS