'We stand with the three Asian Games 2022 bound wushu athletes' - SAI announces care for athletes who were denied visa by China

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has announced its decision to stand firm by their three Wushu athletes, who have been unable to take part in the Asian Games 2023.

Three women wushu athletes from Arunachal Pradesh were denied entry into China for the prestigious tournament. The SAI has decided not to leave their side in this crucial and disappointing time. The association took to its Twitter account to share pictures of three Wushu athletes having their meals at the SAI hostel.

The post reads:

"We stand with the three Asian Games 2022 bound Wushu athletes, taking the utmost care for them at this hour. The 3 athletes are being taken care of at the SAI Hostel."

The players, named Onilu Tega, Nyeman Wangsu, and Mepung Lamgo, were set to take part in the individual event. However, luck has not been favoring them lately. These matches are due from September 24 to 28, slated to take place at the Guali Cultural Sports Center.

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Three Wushu athletes are being taken care of by SAI, informs Mepung

This revelation came in reply to Mepung's post, which informed the fans and concerned parties about the Wushu players' well-being and safety. She wrote that there is nothing to worry about as SAI is treating them well after their entries were discarded by China.

Although Mepung could download her accreditation card, the rest of the two athletes were not able to do so. This card would have acted as a visa for their entry to China. However, even Mepung was not allowed to travel beyond Hong Kong.

Later, Anurag Thakur, India's sports minister, denied visiting China for the Asian Games 2023 as a protest against this act by China. Furthermore, Kiren Rijuju, the union minister, was also seen condemning this act on Twitter. He straightaway termed it 'discrimination'.

"I strongly condemn this act by China to deny visas to our Wushu Athletes from Arunachal Pradesh who were to participate in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. This violates both the spirit of Sports & also the Rules governing the conduct of Asian Games, which explicitly prohibits discrimination against competitors from member states."