Dr. Mandaviya Unveils Khelo India Para Games 2025 Featuring Elite Paralympians
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Synopsis
Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya announced the Khelo India Para Games 2025, featuring numerous international para athletes, including Paris 2024 gold medallists. The event is scheduled from March 20 to 27, hosting around 1230 para-athletes competing in six sports disciplines. The initiative aims to showcase the talents of para-athletes at a national level.
Key Takeaways
- Second edition of Khelo India Para Games will occur in March 2025.
- Approximately 1230 para-athletes will compete in six disciplines.
- Events include para archery, para-athletics, and para-badminton.
- Emphasis on government support for para sports.
- Khelo India mission aims to provide a platform for athletes.
New Delhi, March 5 (NationPress) A host of international para athletes, including gold medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympics, such as archer Harvinder Singh and club thrower Dharambir, are set to participate in the forthcoming Khelo India Para Games taking place from March 20 to 27, as announced by Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya.
This marks the second iteration of the Khelo India Para Games, following the inaugural event held in Delhi in December 2023.
Approximately 1230 para-athletes will compete across six disciplines at the upcoming KIPG 2025, with many being medallists from the 2024 Paris Paralympics and the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.
Events in KIPG 2025 will feature disciplines such as para archery, para-athletics, para-badminton, para powerlifting, para shooting, and para table tennis. The first edition also included football (cerebral palsy), according to a statement from the sports ministry on Wednesday.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will host the para-athletics, para-archery, and para-powerlifting events from March 21 to 26, while the IG Stadium complex will accommodate the para-badminton and para-table tennis competitions from March 20 to 27. The Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range will be the venue for the para-shooting events from March 21 to 25.
India achieved a historic total of 29 medals at the Paris 2024, including seven gold medals, with 25 Khelo India athletes forming part of the 84-member Indian contingent at the Paris Paralympics. Five of these athletes returned with medals.
The Indian government prioritizes para sports, with at least 52 para-athletes included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) core group for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“The remarkable progress of our para-athletes serves as a tremendous inspiration to sportspersons in general. Their ‘can do’ attitude is truly motivating, and I am confident that we will witness outstanding performances at the upcoming Khelo India Para Games,” stated Dr. Mandaviya.
In 2025, the Khelo India Para Games will represent the second national event organized by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) following the Khelo India Winter Games, whose first segment occurred in Ladakh in January, with the concluding part set for Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir from March 9 to 12.
The Khelo India Para Games is a component of the Khelo India mission, aimed at providing a platform for gifted athletes to exhibit their sporting and competitive abilities. The inaugural edition of the Khelo India Para Games in December 2023 was established to allow para-athletes to demonstrate their talents on a national stage.
The Games featured seven sports across three venues in New Delhi. The second edition of KIPG, also set to take place in the capital in March 2025, will involve six sports disciplines.
