Anurag Thakur hails India's para-archery gold at Asian Para Games 2026
Synopsis
Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi won gold in Men's Recurve Doubles at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. BJP MP Anurag Thakur, former Sports Minister, congratulated the pair, highlighting India's rising para-archery profile backed by the Khelo India scheme.
Key Takeaways
Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi claimed gold in the Men's Recurve Doubles at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur , former Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, publicly congratulated the duo on 23 October 2026 .
Harvinder Singh is a multi-medal para-archer with prior podium finishes at the Paralympics and Asian Para Games.
The Khelo India scheme (launched 2017 ) includes dedicated verticals for para athletes and archery infrastructure, supporting this medal pipeline.
India's para-archery medal count at continental and global events has grown consistently through the decade.
Two Indian archers wrote their names into Asian Para Games history on Friday, 23 October 2026, as Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi clinched gold in the Men's Recurve Doubles — a result that drew swift congratulations from BJP MP and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur.
Thakur, posting under the hashtag #Cheer4Bharat, sent his 'heartiest congratulations' to the pair, framing the win as a moment of national pride. The victory at the 2026 Asian Para Games, hosted in the Aichi-Nagoya region of Japan, adds another gold to India's growing para-archery legacy.
Harvinder Singh's journey to para-archery's highest step
Harvinder Singh is no stranger to the podium. The Indian para-archer has previously won medals at both Paralympic and Asian Para Games competitions in the recurve category, establishing himself as one of the country's most decorated para-sports athletes. His partnership with Vijay Sundi in the doubles format has now produced the ultimate continental prize.
Para archery demands extraordinary precision — athletes compete under strict classification rules, and the recurve doubles format requires two archers to synchronise strategy and nerve across multiple ends. A gold here signals not just individual brilliance, but seamless team coordination under pressure.
Khelo India's para-sports push behind the medals
The win sits within a broader policy effort. The Khelo India scheme, launched in 2017, carved out dedicated verticals for para athletes and archery infrastructure, channelling resources toward coaching, equipment, and international exposure. Successive governments have expanded this framework, and India's para-archery medal haul at continental and global events has risen steadily through the decade as a result.
Thakur himself, during his tenure as Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, championed para-sports participation as a national priority — making his congratulatory post a moment of both political continuity and personal investment in the result.
With India's overall tally at the 2026 Asian Para Games still building, every gold from the archery range adds weight to a contingent that has steadily raised its ambitions since the 2010s. The question now is how many more records this team can rewrite before the Games close in Aichi-Nagoya.
Point of View
The congratulatory post is also a reminder of the institutional continuity he helped build during his ministerial tenure. The broader signal is strategic: as India eyes larger Paralympic medal tallies through the 2020s, para archery has emerged as a reliable gold-producing discipline. Each continental title adds diplomatic and soft-power currency to India's growing sports-nation narrative.
NationPress
23 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi?
Harvinder Singh is a prominent Indian para-archer who has won medals at the Paralympics and Asian Para Games in the recurve category. Vijay Sundi is his partner in the Men's Recurve Doubles event, and together they won gold at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Japan.
Where are the 2026 Asian Para Games being held?
The 2026 Asian Para Games are being hosted in the Aichi-Nagoya region of Japan.
What is the Khelo India scheme and how does it support para athletes?
Khelo India is a government scheme launched in 2017 to promote sports at the grassroots level. It includes dedicated verticals for para athletes and archery infrastructure, providing coaching, equipment support, and international exposure to help build India's para-sports medal pipeline.
Why did Anurag Thakur congratulate the para-archers?
Anurag Thakur, a BJP MP from Hamirpur and former Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, congratulated Harvinder Singh and Vijay Sundi on clinching gold in Men's Recurve Doubles, reflecting his long-standing engagement with India's para-sports development.
How has India performed in para archery at recent Asian Para Games?
India's para-archery medal haul at the Asian Para Games and Paralympics has risen steadily since the 2010s, supported by improved training infrastructure and greater international competition. The 2026 gold in Men's Recurve Doubles continues that upward trajectory.
