The track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi was painted with fresh paint and the workers were laying down a new ramp at the entrance of the classification office for smooth operation of wheelchairs as the national capital gears up to host its first-ever World Para-Athletics Grand Prix.
The tournament will run from 11th March to 13th March and feature more than 280 para-athletes from 20 countries. India will field a contingent of 145 para-athletes across disciplines, including Paris Paralympics gold medalists Praveen (High Jump T64), Navdeep (Javelin F41), and Dharambir (Club Throw F51). However, big names such as double Paralympic champion Sumit Antil and double Paralympic medallist Yogesh Kathuniya will be missing.
The event will feature over 90 competitions and witness participation from elite para-athletes representing 20 countries. Saudi Arabia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Australia, Brazil, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Sri Lanka will be among the participating nations.
A crucial tournament for India
The World Grand Prix is one of the most important events of the Para-Athletics calendar as it serves as the platform for para-athletes to get themselves classified in the right sport class. Once classification is done, the para-athlete is eligible to play in the international tournaments.
Hosting the first-ever Grand Prix means that the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) will be able to reduce the cost incurred during classifying the para-athletes via other Grand Prix events. Usually, India gets 4 or 5 slots during the other events but as hosts, India has been awarded 58 slots this time.
“Usually what happens is that we have to send our para-athletes to different Grand Prix events for classification as it is necessary for international participation. We get less slots and have to spend a lot on the classification of our athletes. As we are hosts, we will get more classification slots and it will reduce the costing significantly,” explained Manish Rana, Director Sports Development and Performance, Paralympic Committee of India.
The classification for the tournament started on 8th March with international classifiers along with the national classifiers fulfilling the 120 classification slots allotted to different NPCs.
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The tournament will also serve as the dry run for the World Para Athletics Championships scheduled in the same stadium from 27th September to 5th October 2025.
International exposure for Indian para athletics community
With 29 medals in the 2024 Paralympics edition, India has seen a surge in interest for Para-sports with Para-Athletics being at the center.
PCI president and former Paralympic champion Devendra Jhajharia believes that this tournament will allow more para-athletes to experience the international standard.
“This tournament will also bring the flavour of an International event to the country and it will inspire the other para athletes or enthusiasts to come forward and embrace the sport,” Devendra told The Indian Express.
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“In 2004, I went to the Athens Paralympics paying from my own pocket but if you look now, our performance at the Paralympics 2024 has made a statement in front of the world and our athletes don’t have to go anywhere outside to compete at the elite level as we are conducting such tournaments now,” he added further.
While the majority of Indian para-athletes practice in the JLN stadium, this is the first-time the stadium is hosting a tournament of this stature. The stadium keeps hosting tournaments and events but the accessibility for para-athletes during the event will be an important aspect.
Talking about the preparations, Devendra said, “The preparations are going well for now. I have been part of many World Grand Prix before, but I can assure that this is going to be one of the best Grand Prix and we will make it historic.”
Indian contingent eyes big medal count
Paralympic champion javelin thrower Navdeep Singh will lead the Indian contingent along with Praveen in high jump, Preeti Pal in 100m and 200m, and Dharambir in Club Throw.
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The Indian contingent finished last month’s Dubai World Para GP with 21 medals, including nine gold, eight silver, and four bronze medals. “The athletes are very excited to perform in front of the Indian crowd as they never have got a chance to do that. I am confident that the Indian athletes will perform exceptionally,” Devendra concluded.
