Even as India on Thursday protested host China’s efforts to politicize the winter Games, national broadcaster Doordarshan said it would not telecast live the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

“Consequent to the announcement by @meaindia, @ddsportschannel will not telecast live the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics being held in Beijing,” tweeted Shashi S. Vempati, CEO of Prasar Bharati, which is the parent of Doordarshan and All India Radio.

India on Thursday announced that its top diplomat in China will skip the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics over the ”regrettable” decision by the Chinese side to depute a military officer involved in the Galwan Valley clash as a torchbearer for the mega sporting event, a news dispatch of PTI from New Delhi stated.

India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said China has chosen to ”politicise” an event like the Olympics and that the Charge d’Affaires of the Indian embassy in Beijing will not be attending the opening and the closing ceremonies.

The charge d’affaires at the embassy is the senior-most diplomat at present as ambassador-designate Pradeep Kumar Rawat is yet to take charge.

The opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Games will take place on Friday.

Qi Fabao, the People’s Liberation Army(PLA) regiment commander involved in the June 15, 2020 clash with India in Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, was chosen by China to carry the Winter Olympic torch in Beijing on Wednesday, according to China’s state-run Global Times newspaper.

Though pubcaster DD is boycotting the live telecast of the opening and closing ceremonies in Beijing Olympics over political issues, the India region broadcast rights are held by Sony Pictures Network India, which also aired the Tokyo Summer Games.

India has a lone athlete in Arif Khan who qualified for the Beijing Games in alpine skiing slalom and the giant slalom event, consecutively, according to media reports.