By Karolos Grohmann
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee on Thursday gave India the all-clear to resume bidding for major sports events, lifting a ban that had been triggered when Pakistani athletes were denied visas to compete in the country.
In February the IOC suspended all Indian applications to host future events after two Pakistanis were denied visas to compete in New Delhi.
The denial of entry visas for two shooters, who were due to take part in a World Cup event in February, followed an attack by a Pakistan-based militant group in the disputed region of Kashmir, which killed at least 40 paramilitary police.
“We have received the assurances of the Indian government that they will in the future respect the Olympic charter and that they will give permission to enter India for all athletes who want to participate in the relevant events,” IOC President Thomas Bach told a news conference.
India has accused its neighbor of not doing enough to control the militant groups responsible for the Kashmir attacks. Pakistan has denied any involvement.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) last year laid out an ambitious roadmap to host the Youth Olympics in 2026, the Asian Games in 2030 and the Summer Olympics for the first time in 2032.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Toby Davis)
