This week is special in the history of Indian sports as the national capital Delhi will host the first-ever Khelo India Para Games. Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Anurag Thakur inaugurated the games at KD Jadhav Indoor Hall at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex. The games are scheduled between December 10 and December 17 at three venues across Delhi.
The games will host more than 1400 para-athletes and sportspersons from 32 states and Union Territories, contesting across different disciplines under seven sports. For the inaugural edition, seven para-sports have been included: athletics, shooting, archery, football, badminton and table tennis.
Venue of Khelo India Para-Games
Indira Gandhi Stadium, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Karni Singh Shooting Range are the three premises chosen as the venues.
Inauguration Ceremony
Prominent para-athletes such as Sheetal Devi, Bhavina Patel, and Pramod Bhagat among others will also participate in the games. During the inauguration ceremony, the Delhi Police band showcased a grand performance during the ceremony, followed by a peppy ensemble by dance artists of the ‘We Are One’ group who will perform on ‘Mitti Mein Mil Jawa’ and ‘Vande Mataram.’
India at Paralympics 2020 and Asian Games 2023
Indian para-athletes have made the nation proud by displaying some of the most iconic performances in the recent past. The Para-athlete contingent at the Asian Para Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China secured 111 medals – 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze, their best-ever performance at the Continent level. The team finished in the fifth position on the medal tally. Indian para-athletes also broke three world records, including two in the Javelin throw.
Earlier, at the Tokyo Paralympics, the Indian contingent won 5 golds 8 silvers and 6 bronzes (a total of 19 medals), while the nation had only 12 medals combined in the history of its participation in the games. Hence, it can be seen that the Para Games are in a phase of growth, and Khelo India Para Games will further help in bringing out the talent at the national platform.