New Delhi: The Paris Paralympics 2024 is all set to kick off on August 28 and will run for almost two weeks till September 8. A total of 170 nations (including NPA and Refugee Team) will be taking part in the grand event including India who have sent their largest ever contingent in the history of the Games, with 84 athletes (52 men and 32 women). This is a major improvement from the 54 athletes that took part in the Tokyo Paralympics including only 14 women.
The Indian athletes will compete across 12 sports – shooting, swimming, table tennis, archery, athletics, badminton, canoeing, cycling, blind judo, powerlifting, rowing, and taekwondo. They will look to surpass their best-ever tally of 19 medals (5 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze) that India won at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago. This is the first time that France will host the Summer Paralympics, having hosted the Winter Paralympics in 1992.
The 2024 Paris Paralympics will go through 549 medal events held across 22 sports. Sumit Antil and Bhagyashree Jadhav have been announced as India’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony. Just like the Paris Olympics, the opening ceremony will shift from the stadium to a dynamic parade that will journey from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde.
The 84-member Indian delegation will be missing the services of three Paralympic legends who won medals for the country in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics but will be missing the Paris Games.
Indian legends who will miss Paris Paralympics 2024
Devendra Jhajharia
Devendra Jhajharia is the most decorated Paralympian in the country, boasting three Olympic medals. He won his first Paralympics gold in the 2004 Athens edition in the F46 javelin throw event. He added another gold in Rio Paralympics 2016 and a silver in Tokyo in 2021. The 43-year-old called time on his career in March 2024 and has since been assuming the role of Paralympics Committee of India’s (PCI) president.
Pramod Bhagat
Pramod Bhagat won a gold medal for India in the badminton men’s singles SL3 category but has been handed an 18-month ban by the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) for whereabouts failures. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed the suspension in a statement that he will remain suspended from all badminton-related activities until September 1, 2025.
Singhraj Adhana
Singhraj Adhana won two medals at the Tokyo Paralympics – a silver in the mixed 50m pistol SH1 category and a bronze in the 10m air pistol SH1 category. He was excluded because of a change in competition rules by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) after the 2021 Tokyo edition. At the Tokyo Paralympics, every country was eligible to field a maximum of three shooters per event but in Paris, the number has been reduced to two, which forced the PCI to take a harsh step.
The Indian contingent for Paris Paralympics 2024 will be missing three key athletes who brought medals for the nation in the previous edition of the Games held in Tokyo. Here’s a brief look at the troika. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
