National Para Athletics Championship
Around 1,500 para athletes in India will present the challenge for the title at the 23rd National Para Athletics Championships starting at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai from Tuesday. Chennai will first host this championship with a record 1,476 para athletes of 30 teams to compete in 155 events, which will be one of the country’s largest para athletics events.
Major athletes participating in this competition include Sumit Anil (spear throw), Manoj Sabapati (wheelchair racing), Manoj Singraj (Gola throw), Mariyappan Thangvelu (high jump), Muthu Raja (Gola throw), Hocato Sema (ball throw) , Navdeep Singh (javelin throw), and Yogesh Kathunia (Chakka throw). Devendra Jhajharia, president of the Indian Paralympic Committee (PCI), said in a release that he is confident that this championship in Chennai will set new standards for para athletic competitions in India.
He said that in the presence of 1,476 para athletes participating in 155 events, the tournament reflects the rapid development and increasing competition of para games in the country. With world -class features and commitment to inclusion, we are becoming a new era witness to Indian para athletics. The competition is supported by the Tamil Nadu government and the competition is being organized under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi Stalin, who is also the Sports Minister of the State.
Chandrashekhar Rajan, president of the Tamil Nadu Para Sports Association, said that the unwavering support of the Tamil Nadu government has been helpful in making the event a success. This championship not only displays extraordinary talent, but also strengthens our commitment to empower para-athletes across the country.
