CM Nayab Saini sends off India's para athletes to Asian Para Games 2026
Synopsis
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini sent a rousing message to India's para athletes ahead of the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, invoking the pride of 140 crore Indians and urging the contingent to play their best and honour the tricolour.
Key Takeaways
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini issued a public send-off message to India's para athletes on 18 October 2026 .
The message was directed at the Indian contingent heading to the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan .
Saini invoked the good wishes of 140 crore Indians and called the athletes' spirit 'unbreakable' and their passion 'unmatched'.
He urged the athletes to play with full confidence, give their best, and make the tricolour shine.
The message aligns with a long-standing tradition of Indian political leaders publicly backing national sporting contingents ahead of major international events.
Spirit unbroken, flag held high — Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini reached out to every member of India's contingent heading to the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, urging them to play with full confidence and make the tricolour shine.
Posting on Sunday, 18 October 2026, Saini wrote in Hindi: 'हौसले बुलंद हैं, हिम्मत अटूट है और तिरंगे को गौरवान्वित करने का जज़्बा बेमिसाल है!' — 'The spirits are high, the courage is unbreakable, and the passion to honour the tricolour is unmatched!' He added that the good wishes of 140 crore Indians stand with every athlete, and that the entire nation takes pride in them.
India's para athletes head to Aichi-Nagoya
The Asian Para Games 2026 are scheduled to be held in the Aichi-Nagoya region of Japan, bringing together para athletes from across Asia in one of the continent's most prestigious multi-sport competitions for differently-abled competitors. India has historically sent strong contingents to the Asian Para Games, building on a growing domestic ecosystem of para sports infrastructure and coaching.
For the athletes making the journey to Japan, Saini's message distils a simple mandate: play your best, carry the flag, come home proud. No pressure, all belief.
Haryana's stake in India's para sports story
Haryana punches well above its weight in Indian sport — both mainstream and para — and Saini's public send-off fits a pattern of the state's political leadership closely tracking national sporting campaigns. Indian leaders across parties have made a habit of such morale-boosting messages ahead of major international events, but for Haryana's chief minister the connection carries extra weight given the state's outsized contribution to the national medal tally in recent years.
The Asian Para Games represent more than competition — they are a proving ground for athletes who have fought their way here against odds that go far beyond the scoreboard. Every medal is a statement. Every finish line crossed is a country's pride made visible.
Point of View
But it also signals Haryana's continued investment in its identity as India's premier sporting state — a brand that now increasingly includes para sports. For the BJP, visible proximity to international sporting missions doubles as soft nationalism, reinforcing the 'Khelo India' ethos that the party has built policy around. The specific invocation of '140 crore' is a recurring rhetorical device that frames individual athletic performance as a collective national duty — a framing that carries motivational weight but also quietly raises the stakes for athletes already under pressure.
NationPress
19 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where are the Asian Para Games 2026 being held?
The Asian Para Games 2026 are scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
What did Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini say to India's para athletes?
Saini wished the Indian contingent the best, saying their spirits are high and courage unbreakable, and urged them to play confidently, give their best, and honour the tricolour. He said 140 crore Indians stand with them.
Who is Nayab Singh Saini?
Nayab Singh Saini is the Chief Minister of Haryana and a senior BJP leader.
What is the Asian Para Games?
The Asian Para Games is a major multi-sport competition held across Asia for para athletes — sportspersons with physical, visual, or intellectual impairments — organised in the same spirit as the Asian Games.
Does Haryana have para athletes in the Indian contingent for 2026?
While Haryana is a major contributor to Indian sport broadly, the exact composition of the Indian para sports contingent for the Asian Para Games 2026 has not been officially confirmed in detail.
