New Delhi [India], September 20 (ANI): World Para Athletics head Paul Fitzgerald hailed the transformation in India’s para-sports scene over time, saying that it makes the nation the ‘best host’ for the World Para Athletics Championships happening in New Delhi.
India is gearing as much as host its biggest-ever Para sporting occasion, the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, from September 27 to October 5 on the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. This version marks a landmark second in India’s journey to advertise inclusivity and additional increase the rising help and viewership for Para athletics.
Over 2,200 athletes and help workers from 104 international locations, together with world champions and Paralympic medallists, will compete throughout 186 medal occasions, making it the biggest para sporting occasion ever held within the nation.
Fitzgerald believes the championship will captivate the Indian viewers, inspiring them to look at, take part, and additional gas the nation’s ardour for Para sports activities, notably athletics.
Fitzgerald stated as per a press launch from the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), ‘Choosing India to host this occasion is very vital amid the present momentum in world Para sports activities. India has nurtured and remodeled Para sports activities over the previous decade, making unimaginable strides, not simply in efficiency, but in addition within the help for athletes and the spirit of inclusivity. This really makes India the best host for a championship of this scale.’
He added, ‘The progress of Para athletics right here is outstanding, mirrored within the journey from two silver medals on the Doha 2015 World Championships to 17 medals, together with six gold, ultimately 12 months’s Worlds in Kobe. This progress highlights the great efforts of the Paralympic Committee of India and the investments made, not solely in infrastructure but in addition in fostering rising recognition and help for inclusivity.’
Earlier, on the launch of the Indian Oil New Delhi 2025 brand and mascot ‘Viraaj’, Fitzgerald stated, ‘New Delhi 2025 is shaping as much as be probably the most partaking and inclusive World Championships ever. PCI’s imaginative and prescient and India’s power are really inspiring, and we won’t wait to see this occasion come to life.’
On expectations for the championship, he added, ‘We goal to construct on the rising enthusiasm for Para sports activities throughout the nation. Hosting a serious occasion like this could considerably improve visibility, have interaction the viewers, and go away a long-lasting legacy, making Para athletics extra accessible and celebrated nationwide. With India’s huge youth inhabitants, this championship is a chance to unfold the message of inclusivity and encourage the subsequent era of athletes.’
‘This prestigious championship is not going to solely elevate India’s standing on the worldwide sports activities map but in addition speed up the Paralympic motion throughout the nation. It will empower athletes, increase alternatives, and supply a platform for the world to come back collectively, change concepts, and compete on Indian soil,’ he added.
Ahead of the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) is overhauling the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to ship world-class amenities for Para athletes. A brand new Mondo monitor has been laid by the identical firm accountable for the floor used on the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, providing Indian athletes a way of familiarity with the very best tracks on the planet.
The upgrades additionally embody a Para-friendly health club, accessibility-focused renovations throughout the stadium, and two new lengthy leap pits, one in every of them designed particularly for Para athletes. Together, these enhancements sign a contemporary chapter for para sports activities in India.
WPA Head Fitzgerald described main sporting occasions as a chance and a big funding in upgrading the nation’s sports activities tradition and infrastructure. He stated, ‘Hosting main tournaments is a superb check for infrastructure. The Mondo monitor at JLN Stadium is a incredible funding by India, benefiting not simply this era of athletes but in addition inspiring future athletes who will witness world-class performances right here.’
In India, Para sports activities have seen an increase each in recognition and efficiency. The first huge spark got here on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, the place India delivered their best-ever efficiency with 19 medals, 5 gold, eight silver, and 6 bronze. That document was surpassed in Paris 2024, the place India secured their most profitable Paralympic haul in historical past with 29 medals, seven gold, 9 silver, and 13 bronze. The achievement additionally meant that India crossed the 50-medal mark of their Paralympic historical past.
The New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships is a landmark occasion, marking the primary time India is internet hosting this prestigious event. The expanded competitors program options 184 medal occasions, 13 greater than the final version in Kobe, together with 100 for males, 83 for ladies, and one blended occasion.
To carry the championships into each family, the PCI has joined arms with Prasar Bharati, India’s public service broadcaster, which has been introduced because the Official Broadcast Partner of the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships.
The championships are poised to be a historic second for Indian sport, celebrating the ability, dedication, and indomitable spirit of the nation’s para-athletes, whereas inspiring the subsequent era to dream greater and attain larger. The occasion can even give the world’s high athletes an opportunity to expertise India’s famend heat and hospitality, really embodying the spirit of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (the visitor is god). (ANI)