Arunachal players react sharply to China denying entry to 3 Wushu players from the state for Asian Games in Hangzhou

China’s discriminatory move of denying entry to three Arunachal Wushu players to the Asian Games scheduled from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China, has been condemned by many sportspersons of the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Johnny Mangkhya, a Karate player from Arunachal Pradesh, reacting on her fellow sportspersons being denied entry to the Asian Games, said, “In the 2018 Asian Games, I was selected for the finals, but I couldn’t participate. So I started preparing for the 2022–23 Asian Games, and we got selected, but again, we couldn’t participate.”

She appealed to the government of India to resolve the issue.

Talar Laa, a badminton player from Arunachal, called out China’s move and termed it unfair. He said that such kind of act demotivates the players, as they have worked hard for years to get selected.

“As a sportsperson, I want all the state players to be motivated so that they can play in the upcoming games. Whatever has happened is not fair. They were selected after so many trials but still couldn’t participate at the Asian Games. I want the central government to motivate them so that they can bring medals in the upcoming games,” said Talar Laa.

Tapik Piya, another badminton player from the state, also condemned the act and requested the central government look into the matter and make sure such incident doesn’t happen again.

“I condemn this act. Instead of encouraging the players, such acts are discouraging them, and their hard work is going in vain. I request that the central government look into the matter so that this doesn’t happen again. I also request that the sportsperson not get discouraged and continue with their preparations, as such opportunities will come in the future.

Meanwhile, Anyam Wangsu, father of one of the players, Nyeman Wangsu, appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk with the Chinese authorities and resolve the issue.

Three Wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh who were supposed to travel to Hangzhou, China, for the Asian Games couldn’t travel as they didn’t get clearance from the Chinese authorities at the last minute.

Three women Wushu players—Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega, and Mepung Lamgu—after receiving their accreditation cards from the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC), which also acts as an entry visa, were required to download their travel document, which is validated upon arrival.

However, the three players could not download their travel document on Wednesday when they were scheduled to travel for the Asian Games, while other Wushu team members, comprising a total of 10 players, along with the coaching staff, faced no such issues and boarded the flight for Hong Kong on Wednesday night, from where they had a connecting flight to Hangzhou.

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