Anurag Thakur, the Indian Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, has cancelled his scheduled trip to China as a mark of protest. This was in response to China, which is hosting the 2023 Asian Games, denying entry to Wushu athletes from the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

“A strong protest has been lodged in New Delhi and Beijing against China’s deliberate and selective obstruction of some of our sportspersons. China’s action violates both the spirit of the Asian Games and the rules governing their conduct, which explicitly prohibits discrimination against competitors from member states,” said Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement.

The opening ceremony of the Asian Games will be held on Saturday. The Games will go on till 8th October. 

Bagchi accused China of discriminating against some Indian athletes in a ‘targeted and pre-meditated manner’. “The Government of India has learnt that the Chinese authorities have, in a targeted and pre-meditated manner, discriminated against some of the Indian sportspersons from the state of Arunachal Pradesh by denying them accreditation and entry to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.