Indian Olympic Association treasurer Anandeshwar Pandey on Monday called for the body to snap ties with Chinese kit sponsor Li-Ning in the wake of a border clash between the countries that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers.
The clash along the Line of Actual Control has given rise to a lot of anti-China sentiment across the country. “It’s my personal opinion that the IOA should immediately snap its sponsorship with Li-Ning. It’s high time that we oppose China and its products,” Pandey was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“I respect the feelings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I believe that the IOA will take a call on this at its Annual General Meeting soon… the country comes first and we should all stand united.”
IOA secretary general Rajiv Mehta was quoted by the paper as saying that the issue will be discussed in the lower house of IOA.
The IOA and Li-Ning agreed on a deal in May 2018. Their contract runs till the Tokyo Olympics and as per the agreement, the company will be the sponsor for training apparel, leisure and footwear, which includes officials. The contract between IOA and Li-Ning covered the the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, the 2018 Olympic Youth Games as well as the Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, Indian Weightlifting Federation secretary Sahdev Yadav said that all federations should start boycotting Chinese sports products.