The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday announced that all the discussions between the organization and India over hosting Olympic events were suspended as the country refused to issue visas for two Pakistani shooters who were supposed to attend the ISSF Shooting World Cup in New Delhi.

"Since becoming aware of the issue, and in spite of intense last-minute efforts and discussions with the Indian government authorities, no solution has been found to allow the Pakistani delegation to enter India in time to compete. As a result, the IOC Executive Board also decided to suspend all discussions with the IOA (Indian Olympic Association) and government regarding the potential applications for hosting future sports and Olympic-related events in India," said the IOC in a statement.

The Olympic governing body also suggested that all international sports federations not hold any event in India or grant the country hosting rights for any contest until the Indian government provided "clear written guarantees" to promise that all athletes can visit the country.

India in 2018 announced that it planned to bid for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics, the 2030 Asian Games and the 2032 Summer Olympics, so the IOC's decision came as a real hit. "It's a big setback for sports in the country. We've been in constant touch with the government, trying to explain to them and convince them to grant visas to the Pakistani shooters. This is really unfortunate," IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta told Reuters.

The IOC also announced that the 25m rapid fire pistol competition which the two Pakistani shooters should have attended was no longer a qualification event for the 2020 Summer Olympics, scrapping two of the 16 quotas for Tokyo. The other 500 athletes from 61 countries and regions can still compete for the remaining 14 quotas in New Delhi.

On February 14, a suicide attack hit the convoy of India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least 40 paramilitary troopers and hurting many others. The Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attack and India suspected Pakistan of involvement. The ISSF considered this attack as the reason behind India's denial of visas for the two Pakistani shooters.