India has one athlete, alpine skier Arif Khan, competing in the Winter Olympics. He paraded at the Opening Ceremony in Beijing just days after India announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games.
This announcement came after a commander involved in 2020 border clashes between the two countries appeared as an Olympic torchbearer in the customary torch relay leading up to the Games.
The last-minute boycott, which will see India’s top envoy in Beijing sit out Friday’s Opening Ceremony, adds the world’s most populous democracy to a list of Western nations who already have launched their own diplomatic no-shows, citing China’s human rights record — setting the tone for a controversial Olympic Games.
Following the official move, India’s public broadcaster Doordarshan also announced it will not telecast the Opening and Closing Ceremonies live.