Differently abled athletes demonstrated that they are right up there when it comes to keeping the national flag flying as they dished out a delightful medal haul at the Paralympic Games to script a warm sporting week for India.
The 29 medals of different hues provided colour and cheer in sporting circles that embraced new heroes from multiple disciplines. The shooters, athletes, archers and everyone else punched way above their weight to make a power-packed statement in Paris — that they can and are able.
A thumping tally of 29 that includes seven golds, nine silvers and 13 bronzes meant India sat pretty at the 18th place on the medals table. In terms of order by the medals, India are an impressive 15th.
By contrast, the preceding Olympic Games for the able-bodied did not bring much joy for Indians. Just one silver medal to go with five bronzes pushed us to the 71st place, down 23 spots from the 2021 Tokyo Games, at which Neeraj Chopra had lifted the nation’s spirits with gold in javelin throw. He failed to defend his glitter in Paris though, slipping to silver, behind Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who had relatively much less resources to prepare for the global competition.
At the Para Games, javelin throwers Navdeep Singh, Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar ensured India won gold, silver and bronze medals respectively.
A good deal of money is being spent on sports persons by the Union government of late, through a plethora of projects that provide funds for their training, participation in competitions abroad, employing quality coaches and support staff as well as purchase of playing and recovery equipment. A medal matters, at any level, has been the government mantra.
The largesse should be extended to Para athletes in good measure now. Perhaps we should make it a point to promote para sport at school level. It should work both ways, in grooming potential champions and providing them with the much-needed gratification of overcoming physical challenges.
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