Country comes first: Indian Olympic Association plans on banning Chinese products, sponsors

Country comes first: Indian Olympic Association plans on banning Chinese products, sponsors

The Indian Olympic Association is getting to ban its Chinese sponsors and products, with heightened tension between India and China. On June 15, 20 soldiers within the Galwan region of the LAC were killed.

According to an HT report, IOA Secretary General Rajiv Mehta said that the country comes first. Meanwhile, treasurer Anandeshwar Pandey said, "It’s my personal opinion that the IOA should immediately snap its sponsorship with Li-Ning. It’s time that we oppose China and its products. I respect the emotions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that i believe that the IOA will take a turn this at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) soon the country comes first and that we should all stand united."

 If there's such an edge , then we'll need to think then this issue are going to be discussed within the IOA General house. No decision is taken at a private level. we've an agreement with them (till the Tokyo Olympics). They were also our kitting partners during the Rio Olympics. But we are with the country first," said Mehta.

The IOA and Li-Ning signed a deal in May 2018 till the Tokyo Olympics. The Chinese company would sponsor training apparel, clothing and football for the Indian team, including officials for 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, 2018 Olympic Youth Games and Tokyo Olympics. The deal is worth around Rs 5-6 crore.

Regarding the upcoming Asian Beach Games (November 28-December 6 2020, at China) and 2022 Asian Games (China), Mehta said that its too early to discuss those two events currently, but the IOA stands with the country.