Asian Games: Wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh not allowed to travel to China

India's wushu team flew to Hangzhou, China, for the Asian Games without three players from Arunachal Pradesh.

Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu were not given clearance to travel to China despite getting their accreditation cards from the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC). The accreditation cards act as an entry visa.

The three players were scheduled to participate in individual events of the martial arts sport. They were accommodated at Sports Authority of India's JLN hostel till the issue of their participation was resolved.

According to media reports, the three athletes were not issued their visas by the Chinese authority to enter mainland China. On Wednesday, they were supposed to fly on a Cathy Pacific flight.

The rest of the Indian wushu squad of 10 players and the coaching staff flew to Hong Kong from where they boarded the Hangzhou-bound flight.

Late in July, the trio were not allowed to compete at the World University Games in Chengdu, China, as they were issued stapled visas by China. Stapled visas mean China does not recognise India's sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh.

India then objected to China's discriminatory stance and withdrew the eight-member wushu team.

On the latest development, India's Chef-de-mission for the Asian Games Bhupendra Singh Bajwa, also the president of the Wushu Association of India (WAI), raised the issue with the HAGOC and the Olympic Council of Asia.

He has also written to the Wushu Asian and world body over the denial of "valid accreditation cards" to the three players.