Inspiring the Nation: India’s Remarkable Wins at the 2024 Paris Paralympics

The 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris ended with inspiring performances from athletes around the world, including many proud moments for India. It focused on inclusion and encouraged equal chances to everyone. It celebrated the talent and hard work of differently-abled athletes.

ABOUT PARALYMPIC

• The Paralympics is a global sports event for differently abled athletes from around the world.
• The Paralympic Games take place every four years, just like the Olympics.
• They are held shortly after the Olympic Games in the same host city.
• The Paralympic Games feature many sports that are also included in the Olympics, but they also showcase unique events specifically designed for athletes with disabilities, like wheelchair rugby, goalball, and Boccia.
• The Paralympics are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), while the Olympics are governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• The Paralympic symbol is three crescents in red, blue, and green. The crescent is a symbol of ‘movement’
• The motto of paralympic is “Spirit in Motion”, which was adopted in 2004 at the Paralympic Games in Athens.

HISTORY OF PARALYMPIC

• The first official Paralympic Games were held in 1960 in Rome, Italy.
• The Paralympics originated from the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948, organized for World War II veterans with spinal injuries.
• India first participated in the Paralympics in 1968 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

PARIS PARALYMPIC 2024

• The 17th and the latest edition of the Paralympic Games took place from August 28 to September 8, 2024, in Paris, France.
• The event featured 22 sports and saw the participation of 4,400 athletes.
• The mascot for the Games was the Paralympic Phryge, inspired by the traditional small Phrygian cap.
• Phrygian cap represented freedom and liberty in the American Revolution and French Revolution.
• The motto of the Paris Paralympic 2024 Games was "Games Wide Open".
• The next edition of Paralympics will be held in 2028 in Los Angeles, USA.

FINAL PARALYMPIC MEDAL TALLY

HIGHEST MEDAL WINNER IN THE 2024 PARALYMPIC

INDIA AT THE PARIS PARALYMPIC 2024

• India sent 84 athletes to the 2024 Paris Paralympics, where they competed in 12 different sports.
• The Chef de Mission for the Indian team was Satya Prakash Sangwan
• Chef de Mission is the head of a sports delegation to a international games.
• At the opening ceremony, the flag bearers were Sumit Antil and Bhagyashree Yadav
• For the closing ceremony, the flag bearers were Harvinder Singh and Preeti Pal

INDIAN MEDAL TALLY AT THE PARIS PARALYMPIC 2024

• India won a total of 29 medals, including 7 gold, 9 silver, and 13 bronze.
• The country’s strongest performance came in athletics, where they secured 17 medals (4 gold, 6 silver, and 7 bronze)
• India achieved a rank of 18 in the overall medal tally.

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS FOR INDIA

SILVER MEDALS FOR INDIA

BRONZE MEDALS WINNERS

COMPARISON WITH TOKYO PARALYMPIC 2020

ABOUT FAMOUS INDIAN PARALYMPIC PLAYERS

Avani Lekhara

Sport: Shooting
State: Rajasthan, India
Won Gold Medals at two consecutive Paralympic Games: Tokyo Paralympics 2020 and Paris Paralympics 2024
She was awarded prestigious Khel Ratna in 2021.
She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2022

Preethi Pal

Sport: Running
State: Uttar Pradesh, India
First Indian athlete to win two bronze medals in Paralympic track events.

Harvinder Singh

Sport: Archery
State: Haryana, India
First Indian to win a gold medal in archery at the Paralympics.

Kapil Parmar

Sport: Judo
State: Madhya Pradesh, India
First Indian to win a medal in Judo at the Paralympics.

Praveen Kumar

Sport: High Jump
State: Uttar Pradesh, India
Gold Medal – 2024 Paris Paralympics, High Jump T64
Silver Medal – 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, High Jump T64

Indian athletes have shown incredible performances at the Paris Paralympics 2024, proving the country's strength in para-sports. Athletes like Avani Lekhara, Praveen Kumar, Harvinder Singh, and many more have inspired everyone by breaking barriers and setting new records. They have not only won medals but have also inspired young athletes to pursue their dreams with determination and resilience in the field of sports.