On February 3, the diplomats of India announced the ban on the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Reason behind ban on Beijing Winter Olympics:
This happened after Beijing decided to have Qi Fabao, a PLA regiment commander who sustained head injury while fighting in the Galwan Valley border skirmish with India, as torchbearer during the ‘Torch Relay’.
The diplomats called the decision ‘a matter of disappointment’. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, during his weekly media briefing, announced that India’s top diplomat in Beijing will not attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the event, which has been “politicised” by China.
The Minister said, “Yes, we have seen the reports on this issue. It is indeed regrettable that the Chinese side has chosen to politicize an event like the Olympics.”
“I wish to inform you that the Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of India in Beijing will not be attending the opening or the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics,” he added.
Tensions to be increased amidst India and China?
Eventually, the decision of China to field him and New Delhi’s announcement of its first ever political boycott of Olympic games, are likely to increase India-China tensions that have risen since PLA aggressions along the Line of Actual Control began in April 2020
It is to be noted that India had earlier expressed support for the Beijing Olympics, even as more than a dozen countries, led by the United States, had announced a boycott of the games.
Beijing Winter Olympics:
It is an ongoing international winter multi-sport event that is scheduled to officially open on February 4, 2022 and is taking place in Beijing, China, with some events in Yanqing and Chongli.
Beijing was elected as host city in July 2015 at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur. The 2022 Winter Olympics will be the first Winter Olympics in China, the second overall Olympics in China, and the last of three consecutive Olympics in East Asia.
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