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Three Wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh were held back in the country after being issued ‘stapled visas’ by the Chinese embassy. The team was set to participate in the World University Games 2023 in Chengdu. The stapled visas were issued following another prolonged visa concern due to the accreditation for the games being provided in China itself rather than prior to leaving. Only the Wushu contingent was affected and other Indian competitors were able to leave with regular visas.
The games, which are set to be played from July 29th to August 3rd, were going to have Indian representation from eight Wushu players and four team officials, but all of them have been asked to stay in the country by the Indian government following a visa concern. Three players, Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega, and Mepung Lamgu, hail from Arunachal Pradesh. China has a history of issuing stapled visas, which can be removed or retracted at any time, to Arunachal-born players. In the past, China has claimed Arunachal Pradesh to be a part of its territory.
An official said, “Despite the World University Games being such a big multi-sport event, the participants will have to collect their accreditation in India before departure. So, we need to apply for visas and the World University Games organisers (from China) sent an invite which is to be used for visa applications. All of the players and officials got the proper visas but the three players from Arunachal Pradesh got stapled visas.”
No problems for Asian Games, says former IOA official
After China’s history of providing stapled visas for Arunachal-born Indians, there was some concern about Indian participation in the upcoming Asian Games, which are set to be hosted in Hangzhou, China.
A few athletes from Arunachal are likely to participate and have been named by their respective national federations, in karate, taekwondo, and skateboarding. Though the Sports Ministry has not yet finalised the Indian contingent, there should not be any issues with Asian Games participation.
The Asian Games and Olympics are held under the aegis of the Olympic Council for Asia and all player participation is done through the Indian Olympic Association, so there should not be any issues with stapled visas for the Games.
