Olympics: India leaves Chinese kit sponsor ahead of Tokyo Olympics News Olympics

The Indian Olympic body said it was a decision linked to public sentiment after last year’s border clashes between the two nations.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has left China’s sportswear manufacturer Li-Ning to cite public sentiment in its country and say its athletes will wear unbranded clothing at the Tokyo Games.

Chinese companies have had a backlash in India over a clash with Chinese forces since 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a border conflict in the Himalayas last year.

The IOA at the time decided to review its relationship with Li-Ning, which was about to expire after the Tokyo Games.

He presented the Olympic kit six days ago, but said late Tuesday that the association ended out of respect for the “feelings of the people of the country.”

“We are aware of the emotions of our fans and we … have decided to cancel our contract with a protective outfit,” IOA President Narinder Batra and General Secretary Rajeev Mehta said in a statement.

“Our athletes, coaches and support staff will wear unbranded clothing.”

Li-Ning’s Indian representatives were not immediately available for comment.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: “We hope that India will see regular cooperation between countries in an objective and direct manner and avoid politicizing the issue.”

The IOA said it did not want anyone who made the uniforms to be distracted.

“We would like our athletes to be able to train and compete without having to answer questions about the clothing brand,” he added.

“With things like that, the pandemic has shaken everyone in the last year and a quarter, and we want them not to go unnoticed.”

The IOA said it has been guided by the sports ministry in making that decision.

“The ministry and everyone else were on the same page on this issue,” Batra IOA chief, also head of the international hockey federation FIH, told Reuters by telephone.

The IOA is racing to find a new sponsor.

“The kits are ready, it was just a matter of putting the logo on them. We are looking for another sponsor but time is very limited, ”added Batra.