New Delhi: Beijing's refusal to grant accreditation to three athletes from Arunachal Pradesh for participation in the Hangzhou Asian Games has prompted the Union sports minister, Anurag Thakur, to cancel his trip to China on Friday. New Delhi has condemned China's decision, calling it discriminatory and contrary to the spirit of the sporting event.
India has strongly protested China, according to External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, who also added that New Delhi has the right to take "suitable measures" to protect Indian interests.
Bagchi claimed that China's actions were "pre-meditated" and that they went against the rules and spirit of the Asian Games, which "explicitly prohibits discrimination" against participants from member states.—Inputs from Agencies