Indian diplomats to boycott Beijing winter olympic

• Calling Beijing’s move to pick a Chinese soldier involved in the Galwan incident as an Olympic torchbearer “regrettable”, India Thursday said that its envoy will not attend the opening or closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics beginning Friday in Beijing.

Background

• The Galwan clashes in mid-June 2020 had resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel.
• China had last year admitted to losing at least four of its troops.
• This made it the bloodiest encounter between the two nations in over four decades.

Context

• This boycott means that New Delhi will boycott the Olympics at the diplomatic level although it will send an athlete to the event.
• Chinese soldier from the Galwan clashes as the torchbearer: It is indeed regrettable to politicize an event like the Olympics.
• The Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of India in Beijing will not be attending the opening or the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
• State broadcaster Doordarshan also announced it will not telecast the opening and closing ceremonies live.

First Ever Diplomatic boycott

• China’s decision to field a soldier and India’s announcement of its first ever political boycott of the Olympic games.
• This move is likely to increase India-China tensions that have risen since PLA aggressions along the Line of Actual Control began in April 2020.

Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral meeting

• RIC is a strategic grouping that first took shape in the late 1990s under the leadership of Yevgeny Primakov, a Russian politician as “a counterbalance to the Western alliance.”
• The group was founded on the basis of ending its subservient foreign policy guided by the USA and renewing old ties with India and fostering the newly discovered friendship with China.
• Together, the RIC countries occupy over 19% of the global landmass and contribute to over 33% of global GDP.
• In November 2021 - Through virtual meeting India expressed their support to China to host Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Other Countries boycotting Olympics

• Due to human rights concerns in Xinjiang, Tibet: US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, Netherland, Denmark, Czech Republic.
• Due to COVID-19 protocol: Austria, Sweden.
• Due to Politicization of games: India.