India opens door to Pakistani athletes for international events but no bilateral series

Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in multilateral events hosted by India but bilateral events remain off the table, India’s sports ministry has said.

India also said the visa process for sportspersons and officials will be simplified while office bearers of international sports governing bodies will be granted multi-entry visas.

“With regard to international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons,” the ministry said in a memorandum.

“It is also relevant to take into account India’s emergence as a credible venue to host international sports events.”

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India is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 while they have also bid for the 2036 Olympics and the 2038 Asian Games in Ahmedabad.

The two countries engaged in a military conflict that nearly snowballed into a full-fledged war last year.

There has been a long freeze in bilateral cricket between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have not played a full series since 2012-13 and now meet largely at neutral venues.

Although India were co-hosts of the Twenty20 World Cup earlier this year, Pakistan played all their matches in Sri Lanka – including a group game against India.

“In so far as bilateral sports events in each other’s country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India,” the ministry added.