Winter Olympics: Indian envoy won't attend opening & closing ceremonies, MEA says

Following news reports of a Chinese soldier involved in the Galwan Valley clash becoming a torchbearer at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Relay, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that the Indian envoy will not be attending the opening and closing ceremonies of the games, news agency ANI reported.



The soldier, who has been identified as Qi Fabao, is reportedly a regimental commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and was grievously wounded during the altercation in 2020 with Indian troops in the Galwan Valley. Chinese state media Global Times reported that the country's four-time Olympic short track speed skating champion Wang Meng handed the torch to Fabao after the relay opened at the Olympic Foreign Park.


The MEA has now criticised the move, calling it an attempt by the Chinese to make it a political issue. "Regrettable that China has chosen to politicise the Olympics. The Indian envoy will not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.


The torch will be carried through the three Olympics zones, starting with downtown Beijing before heading to Yanqing district and finally Zhangjiakou in neighboring Hebei Province.