Kalyan Chaubey: Ongoing Support for Para-Athletes to Boost Participation
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Synopsis
Kalyan Chaubey, AIFF president, commended the government's backing of para-athletes during the Khelo India Para Games opening, emphasizing its role in boosting participation across India.
Key Takeaways
- Kalyan Chaubey emphasizes the need for ongoing support for para-athletes.
- The Khelo India Para Games 2025 will feature six para sports.
- Over 1300 participants are expected at the event.
- Increased visibility of para sports is leading to more athletes.
- The inaugural KIPG took place in December 2023.
New Delhi, March 20 (NationPress) The president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kalyan Chaubey, praised the government's commitment to para-athletes in recent years, asserting that this will inspire an increase in participation from players nationwide.
Chaubey attended the inaugural ceremony of the second edition of the Khelo India Para Games (KIPG), which was officially launched by Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Mansukh Mandaviya at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall within the Indira Gandhi Stadium complex in New Delhi.
"The promotion of para sports in recent years, coupled with the increased medal count at the last three Paralympics, will motivate more athletes to join," Chaubey informed reporters on Thursday.
Paralympians including Simran Sharma (athletics), Praveen Kumar (badminton), Nitesh Kumar (badminton), Nitya Sre (badminton), and Preeti Pal (athletics) participated alongside Mandaviya, Virendra Kumar, Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Kento Jini, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, and former Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia in a distinctive torch relay marking the official commencement of the Khelo India Para Games 2025.
The KIPG 2025 is scheduled to occur from March 20 to March 27, featuring competitions across six para sports categories: para-archery, para-athletics, para-badminton, para powerlifting, para shooting, and para table tennis at three venues - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Indira Gandhi Stadium, and the Dr Karni Singh shooting range in New Delhi.
The event will see over 1300 participants, including several elite para-athletes like gold medalist archer Harvinder Singh, club thrower Dharambir, and high jumper Praveen Kumar.
The Khelo India Para Games 2025 marks the second national sporting event organized by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) this year, following the conclusion of the Khelo India Winter Games last week in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir.
The inaugural KIPG took place in December 2023, with at least 25 athletes from its first edition included in India's 84-member contingent for the upcoming 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
