Hosts generally tend to have some nervous jitters in the build up to a global event. However, with a little over a month to go for the World Para Athletics Championships, which India will be hosting for the first time, Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president Devendra Jhajharia is extremely confident of delivering a fine show.

The largest para sport event ever held in India will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi from September 27 to October 5 with more than 100 countries and over 1000 athletes in participation. And the PCI chief is not just certain that his organising committee will deliver the goods, he’s also confident that India’s athletes will deliver medals.

Rapid growth in para sports

India’s 40 athletes returned with 17 medals (six gold, five silver, and six bronze) from the last edition of the World Para Athletics Championships at Kobe, Japan, in 2024. India has grown significantly in para sports in recent times. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, India won 19 medals (five gold, eight silver and six bronze), while at the Paris Paralympics in 2024, the tally surged to 29 (seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze). At the World Para Athletics Championships last year, India were sixth in the medals tally with 17 medals.