Indian Top Diplomat to Boycott Beijing Winter Olympics Ceremonies

By Shakir Husain NEW DELHI, Feb 4 (Bernama) -- India's top diplomat will boycott the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics because of the event's "politicisation", the country's foreign ministry said on Thursday. "Our charge d'affaires of the Embassy of India in Beijing will not be attending the opening or the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a media briefing. He was responding to a question about a Chinese soldier involved in the Galwan Valley border clash with India being made a torchbearer at the games. China's Communist Party newspaper Global Times earlier reported that Qi Fabao, an army regiment commander who sustained a head injury in the June 2020 skirmish, was a torchbearer during the torch relay on Wednesday. Bagchi said China has "chosen to politicise" the event starting on Friday. Though India is not boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympics, its participation is negligible. Kashmiri skier Arif Khan is the only athlete representing India at the games. -- BERNAMA