India’s Journey at the Paris Paralympics and Para-Sports 2025

India has made significant strides in para-sports, particularly in athletics and other Paralympic disciplines. With growing talent and strong support programs, the country’s achievements at the Paris Paralympics 2024 and other 2025 events highlight its rising prominence on the global stage.

Key Achievements in Indian Para-Sports (2025)

• Dominance at New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Grand Prix:
  India showcased its para-athletics prowess by winning a total of 134 medals, including 45 golds, 40 silvers, and 49 bronzes. Athletes like Preeti Pal, who claimed silver and bronze in sprint events, and Rinku Hooda, who won gold in javelin, exemplified India’s growing strength. The event hosted over 280 athletes from 20 countries and served as a precursor to the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi later in 2025.
• Khelo India Para Games 2025:
  Held in New Delhi, the games featured more than 1,300 para-athletes competing in sports such as para-archery, para-badminton, para-shooting, para-table tennis, para-powerlifting, and para-athletics. Tamil Nadu emerged as a top performer with several gold medals.
• National Recognition for Indian Para-Athletes:
  Praveen Kumar, Paris 2024 Paralympic gold medalist in high jump, received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2025. Other Paralympians, including Preeti Pal, Jeevanji Deepthi, Ajeet Singh, and Rakesh Kumar, were honored with the Arjuna Award, recognizing exceptional performances.
• Hosting the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships:
  Scheduled from September to October 2025 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, this championship is set to be the largest para-sport event in India, featuring over 1,000 athletes and 186 medal events.
• Growing Paralympic Medal Tally:
  India’s performance peaked at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, with a record 29 medals, surpassing their previous best of 19 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Strong support from programs like Khelo India and TOPS, along with an expanding pool of elite athletes, has driven this success.

India at the Paris Paralympics 2024: Key Facts

• Participation: 84 para-athletes competed across 12 disciplines, three more than at Tokyo 2020. New sports included para-cycling, para-rowing, and blind judo.
• Flagbearers: Sumit Antil and Bhagyashri Jadhav represented India during the opening ceremony.
• Medal Milestones: India crossed the 50-medal mark in Paralympic history.
• Historical Context: From 1968 to 2016, India won 12 medals. Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 added 48 more, bringing the total to 60.

Paris Paralympics 2024 Medals Tally

Indian Medal Winners at Paris Paralympics 2024

India won 29 medals across five sports, with 17 medals in athletics alone. Highlights include:

• Avani Lekhara – Gold in Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1, becoming the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic golds.
• Sumit Antil – Gold in Men’s Javelin Throw F64 with a new Paralympic record of 70.59m.
• Dharambir & Parnav Soorma – Gold and silver in Men’s Club Throw F51, marking India’s first one-two finish in athletics.
• Mariyappan Thangavelu – Bronze in Men’s High Jump T63, achieving medals in three consecutive Paralympics.
• Preeti Pal – Two bronze medals in Women’s 100m and 200m T35, marking India’s first-ever medals in track events at the Paralympics.
• Sheetal Devi & Rakesh Kumar – Bronze in Mixed Team Compound Archery, setting a world record in qualification.

Other notable medalists include Nitesh Kumar, Nishad Kumar, Yogesh Kathuniya, Harvinder Singh, Praveen Kumar, Navdeep Singh, Deepthi Jeevanji, and others.

India’s Historic First Paralympic Gold

• India’s Paralympic journey began in 1968.
• Murlikant Petkar won India’s first gold in the 50m freestyle swimming at the 1972 Paralympic Games in Heidelberg, Germany, setting a world record with 37.33 seconds.
• His victory inspired generations of Indian para-athletes, paving the way for India’s current achievements.

About the Paralympics

• The Paralympics is the largest international sporting event for athletes with disabilities, held shortly after the Olympics.
• Since 2001, the “one bid, one city” agreement ensures cities hosting the Olympics also host the Paralympics.
• The Paris 2024 Paralympics featured ~4,400 athletes competing in 22 sports.
• The mascot, Phryge, symbolizes liberty and freedom.

Paralympic History

• Began in 1948 with British WWII veterans.
• First official Games: 1960, Rome – 400 athletes from 23 countries.
• Initially for wheelchair athletes; other disabilities were included from 1976 onwards.

Categories of Athletes

• Ten eligible impairment types: muscle power, limb deficiency, vision impairment, intellectual impairment, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, leg length difference, short stature, and impaired passive range of movement.
• Further classification depends on the sport.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC)

• Global governing body of the Paralympic movement, with 176 National Paralympic Committees.
• Manages Summer and Winter Paralympics and serves as the international federation for 9 sports.
• Currently headed by Andrew Parsons, overseeing World Championships and other competitions.

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