Explore Business Standard
Paralympics
There was no better day to urge the people of Brisbane to do better than the benchmarks Sydney set for the Paralympics. International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons' visit to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic host city Wednesday coincided with the start of the annual rugby league grudge match that is the State of Origin series. Without doubt, the year 2000 was a gamechanger and provided the foundations from which we could advance the Paralympic Games and wider Paralympic movement, Parsons told a gathering at a Brisbane riverside restaurant, hyping Sydney's overwhelming success in staging the Olympics and Paralympics almost 25 years ago. After the tremendous success of Barcelona 1992, and the troublesome experiences of Atlanta 1996, the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games got the Paralympic movement back on track with a sensational showcase of sport. Challenge set ======== Sydney is the capital of New South Wales state. Brisbane, capital of Queensland state, has another seve
Members of Paralympic contingent, sarpanches from top-performing villages, handloom artisans, and forest and wildlife conservation workers are among the nearly 10,000 special guests invited to witness the 76th Republic Day Parade at the Kartavya Path here, the government said on Thursday. "These architects of 'Swarnim Bharat', with diverse backgrounds, include best performers in various fields and those who have made best use of the schemes of the government," the defence ministry said in a statement. In line with the objective to increase 'Jan Bhagidari' (public participation) in events of national importance, approximately 10,000 special guests have been invited to witness the Republic Day Parade, it said. The ministry also shared that these special guests have been drawn fro diverse areas and fields, falling into 31 categories. 'Sarpanches from top performing village', 'Disaster Relief Workers', 'Best performing Water Warriors', 'Guests from Vibrant Villages', 'Guests from North
Indian archer Harvinder Singh, who won a gold at Paris Paralympics, on Tuesday alleged "discrimination" in the distribution of sports awards and questioned why the Khel Ratna honour was not bestowed on this year's medallists at the Games like the Tokyo edition. Singh, a Tokyo Games bronze winner, claimed his maiden gold medal at Paris after defeating Lukasz Ciszek of Poland in the final 6-0. "Discrimination in sports," Singh wrote on X. "Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Gold medallists were awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, but what about Paris 2024 Paralympic Gold medalists? Same competition, same gold, same pride why not the same award?" Following India's gold-winning performance at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, shooter Avani Lekhara, javelin thrower Sumit Antil and shuttler Pramod Bhagat were honoured with the Khel Ratna along with Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. "In the year 2021, all Olympic medal winners and Paralympic gold medal winners were honoured with
The Badminton Association of India announced on Tuesday a total reward of Rs 50 lakh for the para shuttlers who secured medals at the Paris Paralympics last month. Indian para shuttlers won five medals, including one gold, two silver and as many bronze, at the Paris Games. Nitesh Kumar, who clinched the coveted gold in the men's Singles SL3 category, will receive a prize of Rs 15 lakh, while silver medallists Suhas Yathiraj (men's singles SL4) and Thulasimathi Murugesan (women's singles SU5) will each be awarded Rs 10 lakh. Bronze-medal winners Manisha Ramadass (women's singles SU5) and Nithya Sre Sivan (women's single SH6 category) will each receive Rs 7.5 lakh. Thulasimathi, Manisha and Nithya made history by becoming the first Indian women shuttlers to secure medals at the Paralympics. "Indian para badminton players have been performing consistently on the world stage and the cash rewards are just one way for BAI to recognise their efforts in helping the country win medals at t
Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), Indian Oil Corporation on Thursday promised to provide monthly scholarships and medical insurance to the country's para athletes after their stupendous show at the just-concluded Paris Paralympics. The Indian contingent made history by securing 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze, marking the nation's best-ever performance at the Paralympics in Paris. Pankaj Jain, secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, expressed his admiration for the para athletes and announced that Indian Oil will be further enhancing its support by introducing monthly scholarships, medical insurance, and sports kits for para athletes. "This historic performance is a testament to the resilience and determination of our para athletes," V Satish Kumar, Chairman and Director (Marketing), IndianOil, said during a felicitation function here on Thursday. "IndianOil is proud to have supported them on this incredible journey, and we remain committed to ..
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met India's trailblazing Paralympians at his residence on Thursday to congratulate them for their record-smashing haul of 29 medals at the recently-concluded Paris Games. In a 43-second video shared by the sports ministry, the PM can be seen congratulating the medal winners before an interaction with them. Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) head Devendra Jhajharia were also present during this interaction. Wheelchair-bound shooter Avani Lekhara, who won a second successive Paralympic gold in women's 10m air rifle (SH1) and visually-impaired judoka Kapil Parmar, India's first Paralympic medal-winner in the sport, were among those who were seen posing with the PM. Parmar could be seen getting his medal signed by Modi. India gave its best-ever performance in the Paralympic Games by winning 29 medals, including an unprecedented seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze medals. The 84-strong contingent surpassed the previ
Frustrated with the lack of recognition and administrative wrangling within the Badminton Association of India (BAI), Paralympic champion Kumar Nitesh has called for para badminton to be transferred under the aegis of Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for the sport's betterment and progress. The 29-year-old from Haryana, who secured a historic gold medal in the SL3 class at the Paris Paralympics, said para shuttlers needed to be treated on par with their able-bodied counterparts. "We have won 21 medals at the Asian Para Games, around 14-15 medals at the World Championships, and 5 medals at the Paralympics, but we don't receive basic appreciation from BAI," Kumar told PTI. "This isn't a new issue; it's a recurring problem. Their attention remains solely on able-bodied athletes, with minimal effort to promote para badminton." Kumar also expressed his dissatisfaction on social media after BAI congratulated the para shuttlers on their Paris performance via Twitter. "Despite the ...
Visually impaired but extremely positive, history-making Indian Paralympic medallist Kapil Parmar faced constant taunts from his fellow villagers when he started para-judo eight years ago, but it only strengthened his resolve to do something significant in life. The 24-year-old Parmar became India's first Paralympic medallist in judo when he won a bronze in men's 60kg (J1) in Paris Games on September 4. "When I decided to start para judo in 2017, some people of my village taunted me how I would play the sport as I can't see but you always move ahead because of these taunts only," Parmar told PTI in an interview. "You have to take these (taunts) in a positive way, to convert their taunts into a challenge and prove them wrong. Now, after my achievements, they support me and say that I was right in choosing para-sport. "If you have sympathisers and supporters, there will be haters also. Life is like that. In a way I feel haters had made me move ahead in life." The J1 class in para ju
Swarmed by hundreds of supporters, garlanded and fed sweets, India's Paralympic medal-winners returned to a jubilant welcome on Tuesday after securing an unprecedented haul of 29 medals at the just-concluded Games in Paris. There was the customary dhol and euphoric chants hailing them as the athletes made their way out of the Indira Gandhi International Airport this morning. Supporters, sports administrators and families of the athletes lined up to show their appreciation for the contingent. "Thank you so much for this grand welcome," javelin thrower Sumit Antil told PTI. He clinched a second successive gold in the F64 category by breaking his own Games record with a throw of 70.59m. The reigning world champion became the second Indian after shooter Avani Lekhara to defend the Paralympics title. Avani had won gold in women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event in Paris after winning a yellow metal in the same event in the Tokyo Games. She returned to the country last week after ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India is overjoyed that its "incredible" para-athletes have brought home 29 medals from the Paralympics, which is the best ever performance since the country's debut at the Games. "Paralympics 2024 have been special and historical. India is overjoyed that our incredible para-athletes have brought home 29 medals, which is the best-ever performance since India's debut at the Games," Modi said in a post on X. This achievement is due to the unwavering dedication and indomitable spirit of our athletes, he said. "Their sporting performances have given us many moments to remember and inspired several upcoming athletes," Modi said.
A "small yet powerful advice" from India's celebrated javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia proved to be crucial for Navdeep Singh, who clinched a historic gold medal at the Paris Paralympics. This was India's first-ever gold in the F41 category, which is meant for athletes of short stature. "Sir ke paas bahut experience hain, aur woh hamesha fase huye match nikalte hain, so maine mere problems bataye (Sir has loads of experience, he always finds a way to win difficult matches, so I discussed my problems with him," Navdeep recalled their conversation in a video shared by the Paralympics Committee of India. "Ek choti si salah di but ant mein pata chala sach mein yeh toh bahut tagda point bataya hai (He gave me a simple piece of advice that ultimately proved to be very effective. It turned out to be a crucial insight." Despite his impressive muscle power and speed, the 23-year-old Navdeep struggled with technique, a shortcoming that led to a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Toky
Pooja Ojha failed to finish inside the top-three to miss the final berth of the women's kayak single 200m KL1 sprint canoeing event, bringing an end to India's record-breaking campaign at the Paralympics here on Sunday. India thus concluded the Paris Paralympics with a record haul of seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals, set to finish 18th in the overall medals tally. The final addition to India's unmatched medal count came from the athletics arena late on Saturday, where Navdeep Singh's silver medal in the men's javelin F41 category was upgraded to gold, capping a spectacular finish to the Games. At the last edition in Tokyo, India were ranked 24th with five gold, eight silver and six bronze medals. On the concluding day of the Paralympics at the Vaires-sur-Marne Stadium, Pooja was the last Indian in fray and she finished her semifinal 1 with a timing of 1:17.03, which was 7.03 seconds behind the third-placed Eleonora de Paolis of Italy. The top-three make the final. Bri
Some Paralympians live with a disability all their lives. Carson Clough is not one of those people. Clough played lacrosse for North Carolina and knew nothing about the Paralympics until he was involved in a 2019 boating accident that required a below-the-knee amputation of his right leg. He's one example of many among the 4,000-plus athletes at the Paris Paralympics who came to have a disability later in life or only learned of the Paralympics when they were adults. For them, para sport has offered a new direction and sense of purpose to their athletic careers. In early 2022, with no previous knowledge of the sport, Clough was invited to apply to a talent ID camp hosted by USA Triathlon. It was there that he met his current coach, Mark Sortino, a long-time assistant coach for Team USA's Paralympic Triathlon team. When he began training, Clough admits, jumping into an entirely new sport was a difficult process, and one that he made a lot harder on himself by thinking he knew more t
Differently-abled but exceptionally resolute, India's para-athletes would look back at their Paralympics campaign with pride as most of the established names lived up to expectations and many talented greenhorns made the big stage their own in a record-smashing medal haul of 29. Seven of these 29 medals are gold, which is another first for the country that started to make its presence felt only in the 2016 edition, where it won four medals. The upswing in performance after that has been meteoric with Tokyo yielding 19, a number that was surpassed this time. Not to forget, a lot of medal-winning performances here were record efforts and personal bests, demonstrating that the athletes have made significant progress as far as their self-belief is concerned. The 29 medals in five sports, including a whopping 17 at the track and field events, have ensured that the country will end in the top 20 of the mega-event that was once again dominated by China with over 200 medals. India is still
The 44th Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly, held in New Delhi on Sunday, showcased India's commitment to sports and its achievements on the international stage.Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted the significant strides India has made under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."Under the dynamic leadership of PM Modi, the government has significantly increased the sports budget from approximately $ 143 million in 2014-2015 to around $470 million today. This has contributed to India's exceptional performance at the Asian Games with 117 medals and Asian Para Games with 111 medals...we focus on grassroots talents..." Mandaviya stated.He emphasized the government's focus on nurturing grassroots talent, a crucial aspect of India's sports development strategy.The Sports Minister underscored the transformative impact of increased funding and support for sports in India. The substantial budget increase has facilitated improved training facilities, better
Navdeep Singh, who suffered from dwarfism, endured not just the usual rigours of training but cruel taunts from onlookers while growing up in his village in Haryana's Panipat district. On Saturday, having turned those taunts into his biggest triumph on sport's grandest stage, the four feet four inches tall para athlete expressed his concerns with the indignities visited upon people whose bodies don't fit the usual moulds, and demanded "same respect" for them. The 23-year-old Indian javelin thrower won an unparalleled gold in the F41 classification at the Paris Paralympic Games. "Humein bhi utna darja milna chahiye, maine bhi desh ka naam roshan kiya hai (We deserve the same respect, I too have brought glory to the country," Navdeep said, flashing his gold medal in a video shared by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). "My aim is to educate society that we also exist in this world and nobody should make fun of us, which is often the case. We also can make our country proud. "Th
India's Simran Sharma, the reigning world champion, breezed her way into the final of the women's 200m T12 race with a time of 25.03 seconds at the Paralympic Games here on Friday. Simran had earlier topped her heat and entered the semifinals with a timing of 25.41s. Simran was in the same heat as Germany's Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt, who had pipped her to bronze on Thursday night in the 100m final. The Indian, who became world champion this year in Kobe, was born prematurely with visual impairment and faced numerous challenges throughout her life, including her father's chronic illness and eventual passing. Those difficult days instilled in her fighting spirit and a desire to overcome obstacles. The T12 classification in the Paralympics is for athletes with visual impairments. Simran was born prematurely and spent the next 10 weeks in an incubator where it was discovered that she is visually impaired. Her breakthrough came at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championship where she .