Sports/Alive News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Indian athletes who represented the country at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Japan. The programme was held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi. During the event, Modi congratulated the athletes, presented gifts to the medal winners and shared sweets with them.
India secured a record 114 medals at the competition, held in Aichi-Nagoya from October 18 to 24. The medal tally included 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze medals. India finished fourth in the overall standings and crossed the 30-gold mark for the first time. In the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China, India had won 108 medals.
Para Athletics Leads India’s Medal Tally
Para athletics contributed the most, with 65 medals, including 22 gold, 19 silver and 24 bronze. The events included track and field competitions such as running, long jump, high jump, javelin throw and shot put.
Javelin thrower Sumit Antil retained his gold medal, while Nishad Kumar and Mona Agarwal also won two gold medals each.
Badminton and Swimming Add to Medal Count
Para-badminton was India’s second-best performing sport, with 16 medals, including three gold, five silver and eight bronze.
Nitesh Kumar won gold in the men’s SL3 singles final after defeating fellow Indian Pramod Bhagat. Naveen Shivkumar also secured gold in the men’s SL4 singles event.
Thulasimathi Murugesan won three medals, including gold in women’s doubles with Mansi Joshi and silver medals in women’s singles and mixed doubles.
Indian swimmers added 11 medals, including three silver and eight bronze. Himanshu Nandal won three bronze medals during the competition.
Importance of the Asian Para Games
The Asian Para Games are a major sporting event for athletes with disabilities from across Asia. Competitions are organised under different categories based on athletes’ physical and functional abilities, ensuring fair participation.
