World University Games Begins In China Amid Indian Wushu Team's Withdrawal In Protest Against Stapled Visas

The World University Games will run from July 28 to August 8 in Chengdu (China).

Judo will be on the competition programme at the Chengdu World University Games for the 14th time since the tournament's inception. ( Image Source :Twitter/@FISU )

The 31st World University Games kicked off at the Dong’an Lake Sports Park Stadium on July 28 (Friday) in Chengdu in China which hosted a grand opening ceremony. It is pertinent to note that while it was Yekaterinburg, Russia which was supposed to host the games initially, the venues and the games village in Chengdu was prepared after the original host was stripped off its organising rights in the aftermath of Russia's attack on Ukraine. However, the games have begun without the Indian Wushu (martial art) team post India's decision to withdraw from the games as a symbol of protest against China’s decision to issue stapled visas.

Coach Raghvendra Singh said that the decision was made shortly after airport authorities in New Delhi stopped them from boarding the flight just minutes before their scheduled departure on Thursday midnight. The 12-member team’s departure was called off which included the coach, three officials, eight players including three from Arunachal — Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu, as per a Hindustan Times report. 

Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi labelled China's behaviour "unacceptable". He reiterated India's stance that no Indian citizen holding valid passport should be discriminated based on their domicile or ethnicity. Meanwhile, India's Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur also echoed Bagchi's views. "We told them (China) that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India," Thakur said.

VIDEO | “We told them (China) that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India,” says Union Minister @ianuragthakur on China issuing stapled visas to Indian players from Arunachal Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/dQzwKvVsRN

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 28, 2023

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Talking about the World University Games, there will be a total of 269 medal events in the competition which will run from July 28 to August 8. Over 9,500 athletes and officials from over 113 nations have participated in these Games.