SRINAGAR: A controversy arose ahead of MotoGP’s debut in India when a distorted map of the country, excluding Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, was displayed during a live stream of the premier motorcycle racing event on Friday.
Shortly after some social media users pointed out the issue, MotoGP issued an apology on its official X account, formerly known as Twitter.
“We’d like to apologise to our fans in India for the map shown earlier as part of the MotoGP broadcast. It is never our intent to make any statement other than that of support and appreciation for our host country,” MotoGP stated.
“We’re excited to enjoy the IndianOil Grand Prix of India with you, and we’re loving our first taste of Buddh International Circuit,” it added.
India is hosting a motorsport event of this scale for the first time since the 2013 Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix, which was removed from the calendar due to financial, taxation, and bureaucratic issues.
Earlier this month, the Uttar Pradesh government allocated Rs 8 crore to its department ‘Invest UP’ for the MotoGP following a proposal from Fair street Sports, as per an official statement from the local Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority.
