Anurag Thakur hails Kapil Parmar's historic Para Judo bronze
Synopsis
Kapil Parmar scripted history at the Asian Para Games 2026 by winning India's first-ever judo medal — a bronze in Men's J1-70kg Para Judo. BJP MP and former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur publicly congratulated Parmar, calling it a landmark moment for Indian para sport.
Key Takeaways
Kapil Parmar won the bronze medal in Men's J1-70kg Para Judo at the Asian Para Games 2026 .
This is India's first-ever judo medal at the Asian Para Games — a historic milestone for the discipline.
The J1 classification covers athletes with severe visual impairment, the most challenging category in para judo.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur , former Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, congratulated Parmar on 19 October 2026 .
The Asian Para Games is organised by the Asian Paralympic Committee on a quadrennial cycle and directly feeds Paralympic selection pathways.
India's para-sport story just added a landmark chapter. Kapil Parmar won the bronze medal in Men's J1-70kg Para Judo at the Asian Para Games 2026 — marking India's first-ever judo medal at the Games — and BJP MP Anurag Thakur was among the first to salute the achievement on Monday, 19 October 2026.
Thakur, a former Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports who has closely tracked India's para-sport trajectory, posted: 'First Judo Medal for India! Heartiest congratulations to Kapil Parmar on winning the Bronze medal in Men's J1-70kg Para Judo at the Asian Para Games 2026. Jai Hind!' The '#Cheer4Bharat' tag — a hashtag that has followed Indian contingents across international competitions for years — underlined the national pride packed into the moment.
A discipline, a barrier, a breakthrough
Para judo has been contested at the Asian Para Games across several editions, yet India had never stood on the podium in the discipline before Parmar's bronze. The J1 classification covers athletes with the most severe visual impairment, making every throw, hold, and transition a feat of spatial memory and tactile reflexes as much as raw strength. Parmar's podium finish rewrites that record entirely. The Asian Para Games is the continent's premier multi-sport competition for athletes with disabilities, organised by the Asian Paralympic Committee on a quadrennial cycle. A medal here carries direct weight for Paralympic selection pathways and national sports funding reviews — making Parmar's result consequential well beyond a single bout.India's expanding para-sport footprint
India's para-sport programme has grown steadily over successive editions of the Asian Para Games, adding disciplines and medal-winning athletes in a way that would have seemed improbable a generation ago. Judo's maiden entry into that medal column — through Parmar — signals depth in a contact discipline that demands years of specialist training and international sparring exposure. Thakur, who oversaw sports policy at the Union Ministry level, has consistently used his platform to spotlight para athletes, a constituency that often receives less public attention than their able-bodied counterparts despite comparable grit and preparation. Every Games produces its defining image. Today, it belongs to Kapil Parmar — and a bronze that is, for Indian judo, pure gold in its significance.Point of View
And a debut medal in a contact discipline like judo signals genuine depth, not just peak-athlete flukes. For a former Sports Minister like Anurag Thakur, publicly amplifying such milestones is both an affirmation of past policy investment and a signal to the sports bureaucracy that para disciplines warrant continued funding attention. The J1 classification — the most visually impaired category — makes this achievement harder to replicate and harder to dismiss. Expect this medal to feature in government sports-policy narratives as evidence that India's para ecosystem is maturing beyond track-and-field.
NationPress
19 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Kapil Parmar?
Kapil Parmar is an Indian para judoka who competes in the J1-70kg category for athletes with severe visual impairment. He made history by winning India's first-ever judo medal at the Asian Para Games in 2026.
What is the J1 classification in para judo?
The J1 classification in para judo covers athletes with the most severe level of visual impairment. Competitors in this category rely heavily on tactile cues and spatial memory to execute throws and holds.
What are the Asian Para Games?
The Asian Para Games is a quadrennial multi-sport competition for athletes with disabilities across Asia, organised by the Asian Paralympic Committee. A strong performance here can influence Paralympic selection and national sports funding.
Why did Anurag Thakur congratulate Kapil Parmar?
Anurag Thakur, BJP MP from Hamirpur and former Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, congratulated Parmar because the bronze medal represents India's first-ever judo medal at the Asian Para Games — a historic milestone he highlighted on social media.
What does India's first para judo medal mean for future athletes?
The medal opens a new chapter for Indian para judo, potentially attracting more institutional support, coaching resources, and grassroots talent identification in a discipline where India had previously not featured on the Asian Para Games podium.
