Pakistani athletes excluded from Asian Netball Championship after India refuses visa

The Indian government has denied visas to the Pakistan Women's Netball team, preventing their participation in the 13th Asian Netball Championship, and continuing its trend of politicising sports.

The championship is scheduled to begin on October 18 in Bengaluru but India has yet to issue visas to the Pakistan team, raising concerns that the team may miss the event despite being fully prepared.

India announced the tournament's draw without including the Pakistan team and excluded them from the competition due to its stringent policies against Green athletes.

The Pakistan Netball Federation (PNF) has suffered considerable financial loss, with millions of rupees spent on the team’s preparation now going to waste.

PNF President Mudassar Arain stated, “The visa applications were submitted three weeks ago, but no response has been received from the Indian authorities despite multiple reminders.”

Arain also highlighted that foreign coaches were hired to train the Pakistani athletes for the championship, with several players undergoing specialised training in London.

The PNF has officially lodged a protest with both the Asian and World Netball governing bodies regarding India's refusal to issue visas.