Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 3: Following news reports that a Chinese soldier involved in the Galwan Valley fight will be a torchbearer at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Relay, the Indian envoy will not be attending the opening and closing ceremonies of the games, informed the Ministry of External Affairs.
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 on reports of China making Galwan soldier torchbearer pic.twitter.com/AdtDVk3aSv
— ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2022
The soldier, named as Qi Fabao, is a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) battalion commander who was severely injured following an encounter with Indian troops in the Galwan Valley in 2020. Wang Meng, China’s four-time Olympic short track speed skating champion, presented the torch to Fabao as the relay began at the Olympic Foreign Park, according to Chinese state media.
The MEA has now slammed the move, calling it a Chinese attempt to politicise the situation. “It’s unfortunate that China has decided to politicise the Olympics. The Indian envoy would not be present at the Beijing Winter Olympics’ opening or closing ceremonies “Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, stated.
Notably, the torch will be carried across the three Olympic zones, beginning in downtown Beijing and ending in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province.
