New Delhi: A grand send-off for India’s 28-member para team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow also became a platform for the Paralympic Committee of India to lay out its ambitions for the future of disability sport in the country.
Payal Kanodia, the newly appointed PCI chairperson, framed the journey as the beginning of a new chapter for Indian para sports.
“You are not merely travelling to Glasgow. You are carrying the aspirations, the pride and the blessings of our entire nation,” she told the athletes, coaches and officials gathered at The Leela Palace in New Delhi on 20 July.
The ceremony, jointly organised by the Paralympic Committee of India and M3M Foundation, was also attended by Haryana Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam, PCI president Devendra Jhajharia, and federation officials.
The team will compete in para athletics, para swimming, para powerlifting, para track cycling and women’s wheelchair basketball in Glasgow. But beyond the bon voyage, the evening also looked to the future of para sport—from accessible sports infrastructure in rural India to the country’s aspirations of hosting the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Our vision goes far beyond supporting athletes at just competitions. We want to contribute to developing accessible, para-friendly sports infrastructure across India, including rural communities, so that every talented athlete has the opportunity to train, compete and dream without any barriers or limitations,” Kanodia said.
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India’s rise in para sports
India had a successful para campaign at the last Commonwealth Games in 2022, with Sudhir (he doesn’t use a last name) and Bhavina Patel winning gold in powerlifting and table tennis respectively. Sonalben Patel also won a bronze in table tennis.
However, Kanodia said PCI wanted to look beyond competitions and build a support system that helps athletes throughout their careers, with better access to quality equipment, sports science, coaching and classifier development programmes.
“By strengthening infrastructure and investing across the entire para sports ecosystem, we also aspire to help India host more international sporting events in the years ahead,” she said. “As our mission moves forward in the aspiration of holding the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this is the moment in which we can together create a lasting legacy for Indian sports–one that is inclusive, one that is accessible and one that is globally respected.”
Jhajharia reminded the athletes that they were carrying more than personal ambition into Glasgow. He said each member of the contingent had earned the honour of wearing the Indian jersey through years of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance.
The ceremony also offered a reminder of India’s rise in para sport over the past decade. Haryana’s Deepa Malik became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal when she took silver in shot put at Rio 2016. Eight years later, India recorded its best-ever Paralympic performance in Paris, winning 29 medals.
Notably, five of India’s seven gold medals at the Paris Paralympics came from Haryana.
State Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam pointed to Haryana’s role in producing elite athletes while outlining measures aimed at strengthening para sports.
“Haryana has a population of only two per cent of India, but when it comes to medals in the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and Asian Games, Haryana stands at the top. Our government has given cash awards of Rs 50 crore to encourage Paralympic athletes. We are building the country’s first dedicated Paralympic stadium in Faridabad with an investment of Rs 100 crore,” he said.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)