Kohima: In the backdrop of China denying entry to Arunachali players citing technical error in their visas, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said his government was training Wushu players to take part in the 2026 Olympics in Japan in order to beat China at their own game.
Sharing his disappointment over the issue, CM Khandu said it was unfortunate that its “friendly” neighbour denied visa to the state players.
He shared that his government has provided Rs 20 lakh to these players who were morally down due to the Chinese government’s move, and also rewarded their coach, to encourage the team to train harder for other national and international games.
“Asian games does not end with China, and Wushu is originated from China, we acknowledge it. But the next Asian games is to be played in Tokyo, Japan. I assured the athletes that the state government will train them at international level. We will be sending them to Indonesia for training and hopefully in the 2026 Asian games, they will be selected to go to Japan to compete, defeat the Chinese, and bring home medals,” Khandu said.
The players were denied visa to the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Khandu, while interacting with a gathering during the Northeast Leaders Connect in Kohima on Sunday said that his government is focused on harnessing the talent of the youths in the state.
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He said that the Arunachal government has realised the strength of sports in the state and changed it policy to support athletes.
Khandu pointed out how Arunachal Pradesh made its way to become the third state in the Northeast, only behind Manipur and Assam, in the recently concluded National games in Goa.
As athletes are training to excel in various sports disciplines, he hoped that the state will make its way to the top in sports.
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