India's Paralympic Performance 2024

India's Paralympic Performance 2024

• India won a record 29 medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, including 7 gold, 9 silver, and 13 bronze. This is India's best performance ever.
• Government support programs like Khelo India and the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) helped propel this success, providing financial and training support to para-athletes.
• TOPS includes a ₹50,000 monthly Out-of-Pocket Allowance (OPA) and personalized training funding.

Paralympic History

• The Paralympic movement began in 1948 with the Stoke Mandeville Games for injured servicemen. It evolved into the modern Paralympic Games in 1960 in Rome, with 400 athletes from 23 countries.
• Today's Paralympic Games are held every four years alongside the Olympic Games, facilitated by the collaboration between the IPC and IOC.

India's Paralympic Journey

• India's first Paralympic appearance was in 1968 in Tel Aviv, with 10 athletes, but no medals.
• Murlikant Petkar won India's first gold medal at the 1972 Heidelberg Games.
• India won four medals (2 silver, 2 bronze) at the 1984 Paralympics.
• Devendra Jhajharia won gold in Men's Javelin Throw F44/46 at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, a major achievement.
• Achievements in the 2012 London Paralympics, 2016 Rio Paralympics, and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics are also mentioned, each showcasing incremental success.

Paris 2024 Highlights

• India finished 18th in the overall Paris 2024 medal standings.
• Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in shooting, setting a world record in 10m air rifle standing SH1.
• Sumit Antil defended his Men's Javelin Throw F64 gold, breaking his own world record.
• Mariyappan Thangavelu won his third consecutive Paralympic medal in high jump.
• Sheetal Devi was the youngest Indian Paralympic medallist, winning bronze in archery.
• Navdeep Singh won India's first-ever gold medal in Men's Javelin Throw F41.
• Badminton saw notable success with Suhas Yathiraj (silver) and Manoj Sarkar (bronze).

Paralympic Games Structure

• The Paris 2024 motto is "Ouvrons Grand les Jeux" (Games Wide Open), emphasizing inclusivity and accessibility.
• The Paralympic Phryge, inspired by the Phrygian cap, serves as the mascot, promoting liberty, freedom, and inclusivity.

International Achievements

• Numerous world records were set by various countries and athletes.