Indian Para Athletes Prepare for Asian Games in Japan with Smaller Squad

A total of 168 Indian para athletes are set to compete at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, starting on Sunday. Top Indian competitors include Sumit Antil, Pramod Bhagat, Avani Lekhara, Sheetal Devi, Simran Sharma, and Bhavinaben Patel. The primary challenge for the team is to match their performance from the previous edition in Hangzhou, China, where 309 athletes won 108 medals, including 27 gold, 32 silver, and 49 bronze.

Squad Changes

India has significantly reduced the size of its squad for this tournament. The Sports Ministry implemented a strict selection policy, which led to protests from some para-shooters and para-cyclists before two athletes, Sachin Chamaria and Anjali Devi, were added to the initial list of 166. India is also not fielding competitors in four events that previously brought in medals: Blind and Para Chess with 7 medals, Para Canoeing with 4 medals, Para Rowing with 1 medal, and Para Taekwondo with 1 medal.

Key Sports

Para Athletics and Para Badminton form the core of the Indian squad, with 62 and 28 participants respectively. In the previous edition, Para Athletics contributed 53 medals, while Para Badminton added 21. Paralympic Committee of India president Devendra Jhajharia stated that the selection policy was strict, but expressed confidence that the gold medal count will not drop. Chief coach of Para Athletics Satyanarayan expects the team to win more than 40 medals in athletics this time. Meanwhile, sprinter Simran Sharma and badminton gold medallist Pramod Bhagat will serve as India's flag bearers at the opening ceremony, alongside new talents like young para archer Payal Nag.

Context

The Asian Para Games is a major multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities, held every four years following the Asian Games. Selection policies for national squads often tighten as governing bodies look to focus resources on top-tier medal prospects. Major international competitions like this allow athletes to test their training against top continental rivals.