Paris Paralympics 2024: PCI chief Devendra Jhajharia explains why Indian contingent is capable of winning 25 medals

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As India prepares to send its largest-ever contingent to the Paris Paralympics 2024, there is an unmistakable sense of excitement and pride. Leading this historic journey is Devendra Jhajharia, the President of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) and a three-time Paralympic medalist in javelin throw.

In an interview with Sports Authority of India (SAI), Jhajharia shared his insights on the unprecedented growth of para-sports in India, the meticulous preparation of the 84-member squad heading to Paris, and his bold prediction of a 25-medal haul at the Games.

With India set to compete in three new disciplines - para-judo, para-canoe, and para-cycling - this contingent is more than just a symbol of increased participation; it represents a nation's relentless pursuit of excellence and inclusivity in sports.

Jhajharia also reflected on the transformative impact of initiatives like the Khelo India Para Games and the broader changes in the para-sports ecosystem over the past two decades.

From the days when he had to fund his own journey to the Athens 2004 Paralympics, to today's well-supported and motivated athletes, Jhajharia paints a picture of a sporting landscape that has evolved dramatically. Here are the excerpts:

Q: India is sending the largest-ever Paralympics contingent, your thoughts?

Ans: As the president of the Paralympic Committee of India, this is a moment of great happiness that we are sending the largest-ever contingent in the history of Indian para-sports to the Paralympics. 84 para-athletes will be competing in 12 different disciplines in Paris. Team India will be competing in three new disciplines this time - para judo, para canoe and para-cycling. The preparation of our players has been very good - they are both physically and mentally fit."

Q: Why did you predict Indian para-athletes claiming 25 medals?

Ans: According to my experience, I feel we are capable of clinching 25 medals. I competed in three Paralympics and returned with a medal every time. If you check out the training plan of our para-athletes in the last three years, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) through which most of our para-sportsmen have come up the ranks.

The way our honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi motivates our athletes, these are the major reasons why such a large contingent is going to France for the Paralympics. I am confident that we will feature inside the top 20 in the final medal standings and our para-athletes will be the first ones to complete the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra.

Q: What is the impact of platforms like Khelo India Para Games?

Ans: It is a huge transformation, I must say. Before the first Khelo India Para Games, para-athletes used to train at the National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) and the State Training Centres (STCs). In 2016 and 2017, our players were getting all the facilities there. These are the ones who went to the Paralympics.

Khelo India Para Games (KIPG) is a big platform. There was a German delegation that had come from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) during KIPG and said that we have not seen an event organised so well at the national and local level back home.

They went on to say that India should host international para events. We also successfully conducted the World Championship for para shooting thereafter. Through KIPG, youngsters receive a lot of facilities at the grassroots level. And today we are fielding an 84-member squad in Paris 2024.

Q: The changes para sports underwent in the last 20 years?

Ans: There is a difference of day and night, the way things have changed in para sports since I competed in Athens 2004. Everyone remembers when I won a medal in the Athens Paralympics 20 years ago, but nobody remembers how I got there.

I put every single penny from my pocket to be able to compete at that level. Today, our honourable PM and the sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya ji are personally motivating the para-athletes with their kind words. Sports Authority of India (SAI) are keeping tabs on each and every news about our athletes.

These are the reasons why our para-athletes are so confident. This hasn't happened overnight, this has happened as per a wider plan where the entire system has seen a major overhaul in the last five years.

I had been part of TOPS for eight years before I left. Athletes are free to choose a training plan that suits them. Today, our para archery team has reached Paris as they had to acclimatise to the conditions and it was approved by the government.

We are also not putting any pressure on the athletes to win medals for the country, we are telling them to give their best performance. We believe if each athlete gives their best, they will most likely bring home medals.

Q: What are the reasons behind better awareness about para-sports in the country?

Ans: When the most popular person on the planet - our honourable PM - speaks to our para athletes before their departure and invites them to his house to felicitate them after the Games and to honour them that message goes to the entire world not just India and to the grassroots as well. Then our citizens see what amount of effort goes into clinching a Paralympic medal. The amount of affection and love our PM has for para sports is wonderful.