Tokyo Olympics: China asks IOA to be "objective and fair" for dropping Li Ning as apparel sponsor

The Indian Olympic Association had dropped Li Ning as its official kit sponsor for the Indian contingent for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, China has urged IOA to be "objective and fair" about the issue rather than politicising it.

The Indian contingent is preparing to travel to Tokyo for the upcoming Olympic Games, set to run between July 23 to August 8. In the build-up, the Indian Olympic Association launched the official kit for the athletes last week.

Although the design was appreciated, things did not go down well concerning one of its sponsors. The apparels are being sponsored by Chinese sportswear company Li Ning that caused an uproar.

Following a request by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the sponsor was dropped by IOA for "public sentiments". Although the IOA announced that it would go unbranded for Tokyo, IOA president Narinder Batra has now stated that the IOA hopes to have a new sponsor on board by the month-end for the Games.

Meanwhile, China is unhappy with IOA's recent act and has called for transparency. "We hope that the Indian side will be objective and fair in viewing our normal cooperation between the two countries rather than politicising the issue," said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, reports PTI.

Since last year, the Indo-China relations have taken a hit after the Chinese soldiers allegedly invaded some parts of the Indian territory and tried to claim it, besides clashing with the Indian soldiers in Easter Ladakh. Furthermore, China has been in the bad books of the world, as it is apparently held responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, with reports stating the coronavirus was produced as a bio-weapon in a laboratory at Wuhan.

Nonetheless, IOA's decision to eliminate Li Ning contradicts the stand of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, as Chinese mobile manufacturer VIVO continues to sponsor the Indian Premier League. Although the sponsor was dropped for the 2020 edition, it was reinstated for this year, while the deal is worth ₹440 crore annually.

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