Sport caught up in raising India-Pakistan tensions as situation threatens India’s 2036 Olympic bid

Leading officials have called for India to cut sporting ties with Pakistan after a terrorist attack and that could have a major negative effect on the country's bid for the 2036 Olympic Games

Athletics, cricket, hockey and volleyball are among the sports that have found themselves caught up in the growing tension between India and Pakistan since an attack in India’s Kashmir region that was the worst in nearly two decades.

Last Tuesday, 26 men were killed at a tourist site in Kashmir. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, an accusation Islamabad denies. Both India and Pakistan have claimed the region of Kashmir, and have fought two wars over the area. Relations between the two South Asian nations have deteriorated in the days following the attack, with India setting aside a critical water sharing pact and Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines.

Former International Olympic Committee member and International Hockey Federation President Narinder Batra has demanded that India severs all sporting ties with Pakistan. Among the actions the ex-President of the Indian Olympic Association has called for is for Indian companies to stop sponsorship deals with the FIH, which is now led by a Pakistani, Tayyab Ikram.