Delhi: India launched its inaugural hosting of the World Para Athletics Championships on September 27, marking the first time the country has staged the prestigious competition that runs through October 5 in New Delhi.
More than 70 Indian athletes entered competition across 186 medal events at the championships, which attracted participants from over 100 nations to the capital. The nine-day competition represents India’s most significant para-athletics hosting milestone in the sport’s history.
Meanwhile, India’s medal performance in para-athletics has transformed dramatically over the past decade. The country secured just two silver medals at the Doha 2015 World Championships before achieving a breakthrough performance of 17 medals at Kobe 2024, demonstrating substantial progress in competitive strength.
Several prominent Indian para-athletes carry the nation’s medal hopes at the home championships. Sumit competes in javelin throw events, while Preeti Pal represents India in sprint competitions. Additionally, Praveen Kumar participates in high jump, Dharambir competes in club throw, and Navdeep contests javelin events.
India had won nine medals at Dubai 2019 World Championship
India’s competitive trajectory in World Para Athletics Championships escalated significantly between major competitions. The nation claimed nine medals at the Dubai 2019 World Championships before recording its historic 17-medal haul at Kobe 2024, which included six gold medals.
The championships occur at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which received facility upgrades, including a new MONDO track surface to meet international competition standards. Athletes compete across multiple disciplines encompassing sprints, relays, distance races, jumping events, and throwing competitions.
Para-athletics originated from the Stoke Mandeville Games in the early 1950s, where World War II veterans with injuries first competed in javelin competitions. The sport made its formal Paralympic debut at the 1960 Rome Games, where 31 athletes from 10 countries contested 25 medal events, including shot put, javelin, club throw, and pentathlon.
Furthermore, the Paralympic programme expanded substantially over subsequent decades. The 1964 Tokyo Paralympics introduced wheelchair racing among 42 total events, while the 1972 Games broadened competition beyond spinal injury athletes to include visually impaired competitors. The 1976 Toronto Paralympics added medal events for amputee athletes.
Competition classification systems evolved alongside technological advances in equipment, particularly specialised racing wheelchairs. By the 1980s, athletes with cerebral palsy and various other impairments competed alongside those with amputations, vision impairments, and spinal injuries. The marathon entered the Paralympic programme in 1984.
World Para Athletics Championships bring India’s rising medal count to Delhi competition
India achieved notable Paralympic success at Paris 2024, securing 84 total medals, including 17 specifically in para-athletics events. Since the country’s Paralympic debut at Tel Aviv 1968, Indian para-athletes have earned eight gold medals in athletics competitions.
World Para Athletics, governed by the International Paralympic Committee based in Bonn, Germany, oversees global competition standards. Para-athletics remains the most widely participated sport within the Paralympic Movement, with athletes from over 150 countries competing internationally.
The New Delhi championships feature more than 1,000 athletes competing at what organisers describe as one of the largest para-sport gatherings held on Indian soil. The competition serves as the biggest track and field event for para-athletes outside the Paralympic Games.
