Asian Games 2023: Xi hails IOC’s ‘non-politicisation of sport’ as diplomatic row breaks out over Indian athletes
- Chinese President Xi Jinping meets International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach in Hangzhou on eve of opening ceremony
- Meeting comes as three Indian athletes from Arunachal Pradesh are unable to enter country in visa row
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach in Hangzhou ahead of Saturday’s Asian Games opening ceremony.
According to state media, the pair discussed a range of topics, with Xi vowing to work with the IOC on upholding the principle of the “non-politicisation of sports”.
The three female martial arts athletes are from India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh – an area that is claimed by Beijing as Zangnan, or South Tibet.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman on Friday said the country welcomed athletes from all countries “with valid legal documents”, suggesting Beijing did not recognise the Indian passports.
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In his meeting with Bach, Xi also praised the world governing body for staying true to its “original aspirations” despite the “severe challenges” of the past several years and said it still had a “unique role in safeguarding world peace”.
Saying that China had always attached great importance to the development of sports, Xi also said the country would not waste the legacy of last year’s Winter Games in Beijing.
“China will work with the IOC to uphold the principle of non-politicisation of sports, make full use of the legacy of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and make new and greater contributions to advancing the Olympic cause and building a community with a shared future for humanity,” Xi said.
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“I believe it will be a successful and wonderful Asian Games that will promote unity and friendship of Asia,” Bach said.
The meeting came with the IOC facing criticism over its recommendation that Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to compete under a neutral flag.
Up to 500 Russian and Belarusian athletes had been approved by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to take part in Hangzhou, only for the IOC to conclude it was “not feasible due to technical reasons”.
According to state media, Xi said Hangzhou was “ready” to stage the Asian Games and insisted that the Chinese Government was “fully confident in presenting a spectacular” event.
