Indian para-athletes have created history with India’s highest-ever Medal Tally in the Para Asian Games with 111 medals, including 29 Gold medals. Previously India had won 14 medals in the 2010 edition, 33 in 2014 and 72 in 2018. This is India’s best-ever performance since the inception of the Games where India was ranked 5th in the overall medal tally. India sent its largest contingent this year, consisting of 303 athletes (191 male & 112 female). Out of the 111 medals, female athletes have contributed 40 medals, i.e. 36% of the medal tally.
Speaking about the record-breaking performance, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports said, “This performance reflects the hard work of our athletes and the introduction of the right policies in sports under the leadership of Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Be it the Khelo India Scheme at the grassroots level or the Target Olympic Podium Scheme for elite athletes, the support extended through these schemes is indeed showing results now. You will be happy to know that 8 Khelo India Athletes and 46 TOPS athletes participated in the Games and brought in a total of 38 medals out of 111. Also, the increase of sports budget by 3 times as compared to 2014 has also given us the ability to extend better support to all our athletes, be it in terms of coaches, training, foreign exposure, diet, infrastructure.”
He also added, “The spectacular performance of athletes at the recently-concluded Asian Games as well as these Para Asian Games and the last Olympics, Paralympics, CWG, Deaflympics, goes to show that India’s power in sports is growing. And like Honourable PM said at the IOC meeting recently, India is not just performing well but is also ready to host big events, be it Youth Olympics in 2030 or the Summer Olympics in 2036.”
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PPG/SK