Anurag Thakur hails Sheetal Devi, Payal Nag's Para Games silver
Synopsis
BJP MP Anurag Thakur congratulated Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag on winning silver in the Para Compound Women's Doubles at the Asian Para Games 2026, highlighting India's growing para-sports medal haul at the continental level.
Key Takeaways
Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag won the Silver Medal in Para Compound Women's Doubles at the Asian Para Games 2026 .
BJP MP Anurag Thakur publicly congratulated the duo on 21 October 2026 , underlining political visibility for para athlete achievement.
Thakur is a former Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh .
The Asian Para Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event; India has steadily improved its medal tallies over the past decade.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports runs a dedicated Scheme for Promotion of Sports among Persons with Disabilities to support para athletes.
India's para archery programme is increasingly a reliable source of continental medals, reinforcing the case for continued investment.
A silver medal, a doubled fist, a moment India's para archery will remember — BJP MP Anurag Thakur took to X on Wednesday, 21 October 2026 to congratulate Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag on clinching the Silver Medal in the Para Compound Women's Doubles at the Asian Para Games 2026.
What Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag delivered on the doubles range
Sheetal Devi has become one of India's most recognised faces in para compound archery, having represented the country at major international events. Paired with Payal Nag in the Women's Doubles discipline, the duo navigated a competitive Asian field to finish on the podium. A silver at a continental para games is not a consolation — it is a statement of consistent, high-level competitive archery.
The compound discipline demands mechanical precision and mental composure in equal measure, and a doubles pairing adds the pressure of synchronised performance. That India placed second underlines the depth the country is building in para archery at the continental level.
India's rising arc in para sports at Asian Games
India's participation in the Asian Para Games — the quadrennial multi-sport event for Asian para athletes — has grown substantially over the last decade, with medal tallies climbing as selection pipelines and training infrastructure have expanded. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has backed this growth through dedicated schemes, including the Scheme for Promotion of Sports among Persons with Disabilities, which channels resources toward coaching, equipment, and competitive exposure for para athletes across disciplines.
Anurag Thakur, who served as Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports before returning to Parliament as a Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, has consistently amplified para athlete achievements — a visibility play that carries policy weight, signalling to sports bodies and sponsors where attention should follow.
Why a silver in para compound archery matters beyond the podium
Para archery sits at an intersection of athleticism and representation. Each podium finish builds a pipeline: it draws more young para athletes into the sport, justifies continued government and federation investment, and chips away at the visibility gap that has historically separated para sports from their able-bodied counterparts in public discourse.
With results still coming in from the 2026 Asian Para Games, every medal India adds reinforces the case for sustained, structured support — and makes the next funding conversation a little easier to win.
India's para archers have shown that the compound range is now a reliable medal zone. The question is whether the infrastructure around them grows fast enough to keep pace with their ambition.
Point of View
Long-running political strategy of championing para sports visibility — begun during his tenure as Sports Minister and continued from the backbench. Each public congratulation keeps the policy conversation alive: para athlete success is framed not just as personal triumph but as national infrastructure bearing fruit. India's improving para-games tallies are the downstream dividend of schemes like the Sports for Persons with Disabilities programme, and political amplification by senior figures helps sustain public and budgetary support for those schemes. The real watch is whether medals translate into expanded grassroots investment, or remain primarily a moment of ceremonial pride.
NationPress
21 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag?
Sheetal Devi is a prominent Indian para compound archer who has represented India at major international events. Payal Nag is her doubles partner; the two paired up to win silver in the Para Compound Women's Doubles at the Asian Para Games 2026.
What is the Asian Para Games?
The Asian Para Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held for para athletes across Asia, modelled on the Asian Games, with India participating competitively across multiple disciplines.
What medal did India win in para compound archery at the 2026 Asian Para Games?
India won a Silver Medal in the Para Compound Women's Doubles event at the Asian Para Games 2026, claimed by Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag.
Why did Anurag Thakur congratulate para athletes?
Anurag Thakur, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur and former Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, regularly highlights Indian athlete achievements — particularly in para sports — as part of his continued engagement with sports promotion in India.
How does the Indian government support para athletes?
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports runs the Scheme for Promotion of Sports among Persons with Disabilities, which provides training support, equipment, and competitive exposure to Indian para athletes at national and international levels.
