July 28th 2023.
India has recently withdrawn its entire Wushu team from the upcoming World University Games in Chengdu as a form of protest against China's recent issuance of stapled visas to three athletes from Arunachal Pradesh.
On Thursday midnight, when the Games were set to begin, airport authorities in New Delhi prevented an eight-member contingent, comprising five athletes, a coach, and two support staff, from boarding their flight. Coach Raghvendra Singh revealed that immigration officials and CISF personnel were responsible for halting the team at the boarding gate without providing an explanation, other than stating that it was based on government instructions.
The controversy arose when stapled visas were issued to some Indian citizens representing the country in the sporting event hosted by China. In response to this issue, Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, strongly condemned China's decision, deeming it unacceptable. He asserted that India retains the right to respond appropriately to such actions.
An official from the Wushu Federation of India revealed that the athletes had applied for visas on 16 July. The visa applications for the rest of the team were processed on time, but the documentation of three Arunachal athletes was not accepted. They were later asked to resubmit their applications on 25 July, and the Chinese embassy returned their passports with stapled visas on 26 July.
Given the situation, the Indian government decided to put the team's participation on hold and subsequently opted to withdraw the entire Wushu team from the competition. Stapled visas are viewed as a symbol of China's refusal to acknowledge India's sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh, and this has happened in the past as well. In 2011, five karate players from Arunachal Pradesh were issued stapled visas, and in 2013 two archers were stopped from participating in the Youth World Archery Championship due to the same reason.
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