Wushu, a martial art that has been featured at the Asian Games since 1990, will begin in Hangzhou on Sunday. India has won seven medals in wushu at the multi-sport event, including one silver and six bronze.
This sport will now give an additional gold medal at the Asian Games this year due to the re-inclusion of the men’s 75 kg Sanda category following an eight-year absence. There were 14 medals available in the previous edition.
China and Iran will start as the favourites in the tournament, with the host being the global leader in the discipline.
India’s hopes of a medal rest with competitors like Roshibina Devi Naorem in the 60kg women’s division and Vikrant Ballyan in the 60kg men’s division. Wushu also made headlines yesterday as three Indian athletes from Arunachal Pradesh were embroiled in a visa controversy.
The three – Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu – were refused despite having e-accreditations from the organisers. The same athletes had earlier been given stapled visas for the World University Games in Chengdu with India withdrawing the entire wushu contingent in protest.
The Sports Minister, as a result, decided to cancel his trip to the Asian Games.
“In line with our long-standing and consistent position, India firmly rejects the differential treatment of Indian citizens on the basis of domicile or ethnicity,” Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), told Sportstar.
India’s Wushu Schedule at Asian Games 2023
How to watch Wushu at the Asian Games?
Wushu will be live telecast on the Sony Ten Network as well as live streamed on SonyLIV.
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