Asian Games 2023: India is all set to demand China, the organisers of the Asian Games 2o23, to provide solutions for alternative communication ahead of the mega-event. With China having banned Google, WhatsApp and Facebook, India is hoping to find solution to the communication issue. It will be one of the key demands from India’s side during a meeting ahead of the quadrennial event, that is scheduled to take place on 25th April 2023. It will be held at the host city Huangzhu. India will be represented by the Chief de Mission for Asian Games 2023, Bhupender Bajwa. Follow Asian Games 2023 LIVE updates on InsideSport.IN
Apart from seeking alternatives to communicate, India is also expected to raise other demands. It includes the possibility of setting up an India House at the host city, availability of vegetarian foods, hiring translators, getting access to local sim cards and much more. The Asian Games 2023 is scheduled to be held from 23rd September to 8th October 2023.
“We want to avoid any last-minute hiccups and figure out solutions to all these issues in advance,” the Indian Express was informed by Bhupender Bajwa ahead of his participation in the scheduled meeting.
The light shows in Hangzhou Qianjiang New City resumed on Apr 18.
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— 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Official (@19thAGofficial) April 20, 2023
Team India’s demands ahead of Asian Games
- Set up of an India House to get athletes vegetarian food, medal ceremonies etc.
- Communication options since WhatsApp, Facebook and Google are banned in China.
- Access to translators, sim cards to set up Communication.
While Google, Whatsapp and Facebook are most-used across the other parts of the world. China has completely blocked the access to the search engine and the apps. Since 2014, the people in mainland China do not have access to Google. Meanwhile Facebook and all the other apps belonging to the company like Whatsapp and Instagram are disabled from the country.
Almost every member of the Indian contingent will rely on Whatsapp to communicate with each other when they travel abroad. With the ban in China, Bajwa said, “When teams land at the airport, they are greeted by a local liaison officer. He also provides the team a sim card. But we have many coaches and athletes who want their own sim cards for basic communication, like sorting out their schedules.”
“We will ask them how many sim cards they will provide us, and from where can we procure them – whether at the airport, at the athletes’ village or some other place,” he added.
India has also been trying hard since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to set up an India House. It also remains a priority this time. The India House will provide hospitality to the athletes. It could also showcase Indian art, culture and cuisine and can host medal celebrations, partries and meet-and-greet opportunities with athletes.
“Whether they accept our request and allot us space remains to be seen. For them, it is a question of accommodating requests from the 45 countries that will take part in the Games,” said Bajwa.
The upcoming Asian Games is set to feature 40 sporting events. Apart from Cricket, India will have representation in all the other sports. India is eyeing a record medal haul in the quadrennial event. The country is expected to send the biggest contingent to the event with 600-700 athletes.
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