Beijing, February 3: India on Thursday announced to diplomatically boycott Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that its chargé d’affaires in the Beijing embassy would not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in the Chinese capital. The decision was taken after China decided to honour a military commander involved in the Galwan Valley clashes as its torchbearer for the mega sporting event. Apart from India, other countries that announced the boycott of the event include the United States, The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Denmark. Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 India Schedule, Athletes, Live Streaming Online and TV Telecast in IST.

Notably, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) regiment commander involved in the June 15, 2020 clash with India in Galwan Valley was chosen by China to carry the Winter Olympic torch in Beijing. The eastern Ladakh border row escalated after the Galwan Valley clashes. Twenty Indian Army personnel attained martyrdom in the clashes that marked the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades. In February last year, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher. DD Sports Channel to Not Telecast Live Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 Opening And Closing Ceremonies.

Here Is The List Of Countries That Are Boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022:

  • India

  • The United States

  • The United Kingdom

  • Canada

  • Australia

  • Lithuania

  • Kosovo

  • Belgium

  • Denmark

  • Japan

Notably, New Zealand, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden, and Netherlands are also not sending government representatives to the Olympics. However, these countries cited COVID-19 as the reason. The US announced a diplomatic boycott of the games due to alleged repression of the Muslim Uyghur minority in the country’s Xinjiang region.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the western countries over the boycott of the mega sporting event. He said that attempts by a number of countries to politicise sports for their selfish interests have recently intensified, which is fundamentally wrong and contrary to the very spirit and principles of the Olympic Charter.

The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing from February 04 to February 17. In the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, there will be a record 109 events over 15 disciplines in seven sports and will feature over 2600 athletes. However, India’s Winter Olympics team consists of only one member, Alpine Skier Arif Khan.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2022 06:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).