Para Athletics

Overview

Origin

Modern

Category

Para

Olympic discipline

No

Paralympic discipline

Yes

Central pathway

TOPS eligible

Athlete profiles on SportSupport

16

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body

Paralympic Committee of India

Ministry recognition

Paralympic Committee of India — Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — as at 2026Source: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — List of recognised National Sports Federations

International federation

Not currently verified

Khelo India inclusion

Not currently verified

TOPS eligibility

In scope — TOPS covers Paralympic medal prospects

Olympic status

Not on the Olympic programme

Paralympic status

On the Paris 2024 Paralympic programme (Para Athletics)Source: International Paralympic Committee — Paris 2024 Paralympic Games — sports (2024)

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for para athletics athletes in India.

• Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)

  Monthly stipend (₹10,000 for selected Khelo India athletes), boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.

• Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)

  Central government scheme covering training, foreign exposure, equipment and an out-of-pocket allowance (up to ₹50,000/month) for athletes inducted by the Mission Olympic Cell. TOPS covers a Core Group and a Development Group of disciplines rather than every Olympic sport, and induction is decided athlete by athlete; we hold no current list confirming whether para athletics is among the covered disciplines.

• National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)

  Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to para athletics.

• Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons

  Lifetime monthly pension (₹20,000 for Olympic/World/Asian/CWG medallists; scaled by tier) for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria — Government of India.

• Atul KaushikDelhi

  Atul Kaushik (born 22 April 1996) is an Indian para discus thrower who competes in F57 category.

• Deepthi JeevanjiIndia

  Deepthi Jeevanji (born 27 September 2003) is an Indian para-athlete. She won the bronze medal at the 2024 Paralympics in the 400 meters T20 race. 06s.

• Ekta BhyanHaryana

  Ekta Bhyan (born 7 June 1985) is an Indian para club thrower who competes in the F51 event. She is a former World and Asian Para Games champion, having won gold in the women's club throw F51 event at the 2024 World Championships and the 2018 Asian Para Games. She has also represented India at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where she finished sixth in the same event.

• Neeraj YadavIndia

  Neeraj Yadav (born 10 February 1984) is an Indian Paralympian and javelin thrower. He primarily competes in discus, shotput and javelin at Asian Para Games in the F55 category. He won Gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia and defended it at the 2022 Asian Para Games.

• Nishad KumarHimachal Pradesh

  Nishad Kumar (born 3 October 1999) is an Indian para high jumper. He won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and retained his silver at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

• Pardeep KumarIndia

  Pardeep Kumar (born 15 February 1999) is an Indian para discus thrower who competes in F64 category.

• Pranav SoormaIndia

  Pranav Soorma (born 1994) is an Indian para-athlete. He won the silver medal in the men's club throw F51 event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. He also won the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Para Games.

• Preethi PalUttar Pradesh

  Preethi Pal (born 22 September 2000) is an Indian para athlete. She won two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the women's 100m and 200m T35 race events and created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win two medals in track and field events at Paralympic Games.

• Rakshitha RajuIndia

  Rakshitha Raju (born 15 January 2001) is an Indian runner, who is visually impaired. She takes part in the women's 1500 metres T11 category. She was selected for the Indian team that took part in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

• SandeepIndia

  Sandeep (born 30 September 2001) is an Indian T44 para athlete who competes in sprinting events.

• Sandeep Singh MaanIndia

  Sandeep Singh Maan (born 16 July 1993) is an Indian Para athlete competing in Men's 100m, 200m, 400m and Long Jump events in the T46 category. He is bronze medallist in Asian Para Games 2018 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. And three time silver medallist from the Asian Para Games; he won them at the 2010 and 2014 editions in Guangzhou, China and Incheon, Korea, respectively.

• Shilpa ShylaIndia

  Shilpa Kanchugarakoppalu Shyla (born 25 February 1989) is an Indian para-athlete who competes in the shot put and discus throw events in the F57 classification. She won the bronze medal in the women's shot put F57 at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

• Simran SharmaIndia

  Simran Sharma (born 9 November 1999) is an Indian visually-impaired para-athlete. She won a bronze medal in the 200 m T12 event. 31.

• Sumit AntilHaryana

  Sumit Antil (born 7 June 1998) is an Indian para javelin thrower. He is the reigning Paralympic, World and Asian champion in the men's javelin throw F64 category. He won gold medals at the 2020 and 2024 Paralympics.

• Swaroop Mahavir UnhalkarIndia
• Vinay Kumar LalIndia

  Vinay Kumar Lal (born 22 March 1999) is an Indian Para athlete competing in Men's 100m, 200m, 400m events in the T44 category. He is bronze medallist in Asian Para Games 2018 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. He also won bronze medal in 2019 World Para Athletics Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Rules

Para athletics follows World Para Athletics rules, which mirror World Athletics competition rules with adaptations for impairment. Athletes are grouped by a classification code: 'T' for track and jumps, 'F' for throws, with the following digits indicating impairment type and severity — 11-13 vision impairment, 20 intellectual impairment, 31-38 co-ordination impairments (cerebral palsy, ataxia, athetosis), 40-41 short stature, 42-47 limb deficiency/impaired power or range of movement, 51-57 wheelchair racing and seated throws, and 61-64 for athletes competing with prostheses. Classification is done by trained panels and can be reviewed. T11 sprinters wear blackout eyeshades and may run with a guide runner who must not pull or push and must not cross the line ahead of the athlete. Wheelchair races use lane rules adapted for racing chairs, seated throwers compete from a fixed throwing frame with strapping rules, and prosthetic specifications (blade length in particular) are regulated. False starts, three trials plus a final three for top throwers/jumpers, and standard measurement rules otherwise apply.

Authoritative rulebook: Paralympic Committee of India. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Positions

Typical roles across para sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced para athletics squad list.

• Competitor
  Athlete who takes part in the para athletics event under Paralympic Committee of India rules.
• Coach
  Federation-certified coach responsible for training and match-day decisions.
• Match official
  Referee, umpire or judge who officiates the event.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in para athletics at a federation-recognised event.

• Event-specific implements: javelin, shot, discus and club to World Para Athletics specification by class
• Racing wheelchair (three-wheeled, low-slung) with compression gloves for T53/T54 track athletes
• Throwing frame with regulated strapping and holding bar for seated F-class throwers
• Running blades / daily-use prostheses meeting length and design regulations for T42-T64 athletes
• Blackout eyeshades and a tether for T11 athletes running with a guide runner
• Spikes or class-appropriate footwear, competition kit with classification number bib

Governing/organising body

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in para athletics.

• Indian Open Para Athletics Championships / National Para Athletics Championships

  Organized under the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), currently headed by Devendra Jhajharia — himself India's first double Paralympic gold medallist. Sumit Antil broke his own F64 javelin world record at a recent Indian Open edition.

• World Para Athletics Grand Prix (New Delhi)

  India hosted the 2026 edition in New Delhi, where Indian athletes swept podiums across multiple events including the men's 400m T53/T54, women's 400m T11/T12, men's long jump T42/T63 and men's shot put F46.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in para athletics.

• Paralympic Games

  India's finest Games came at Paris 2024: a record 29 medals (7 gold, 9 silver, 13 bronze) from an 84-athlete contingent across 12 sports — nearly matching the 30 medals India had won across all previous Games combined since its 1968 debut. Para-athletics contributed the largest share. Sumit Antil defended his F64 javelin gold with a Paralympic record 70.59m (breaking the record twice in the same final), becoming the first Indian man to defend a Paralympic title. Preethi Pal won India's first-ever Paralympic medal in a track event (bronze, women's 100m T35) and added a second in the 200m. Mariyappan Thangavelu became the first Indian to medal at three consecutive Paralympics.

• World Para Athletics Championships

  Sumit Antil won gold in both 2023 and 2024.

• Asian Para Games

  India won a record 111 medals at Hangzhou 2022 (held 2023), a key indicator ahead of the Paris breakthrough.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for para athletics. The national championship under Paralympic Committee of India remains the top domestic competition.

International Players

Globally recognised para athletics athletes to know outside India.

The international federation for para athletics maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in para athletics — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

• Sumit Antil's story is emblematic: he lost his left leg in a motorcycle accident at 17 in 2015, took up javelin a year later, and within a few years held the world record (73.29m) and two Paralympic golds
• Devendra Jhajharia — the first Indian para-athlete to win two Paralympic golds (Athens 2004, Rio 2016) — now serves as President of the Paralympic Committee of India, a rare instance of an athlete-turned-administrator at the top of an Indian federation
• Government support has become a genuine, measurable driver: 52 of India's 84 para-athletes at Paris (62%) were funded through the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), with athletes given freedom to train anywhere plus personal physios and, in some cases, sports psychologists
• Medal success now carries substantial financial reward — Jhajharia received over ₹1 crore and land from central and state governments, and Deepa Malik ₹4 crore from Haryana — creating a visible, aspirational career path where none previously existed
• Playing pathway through PCI's state associations and national championships across the full range of T (track) and F (field) classification classes

• SAI National Centre of Excellence, BengaluruElite
  Bengaluru, Karnataka · Since 1991

  Sports Authority of India's flagship southern training centre.

Central and state schemes that fund training, stipends and awards for para athletics athletes and academies.

• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
  Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners in International Sports Events and their Coaches

  Central cash incentive for Indian medal winners at notified international events and their coaches, at the rates notified with effect from 1 February 2025.

• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
  Khelo India Para Games

  An initiative to provide a competitive platform specifically for athletes with disabilities, ensuring inclusivity in the Khelo India ecosystem.

FAQs

Common questions about para athletics in India.

Para Athletics in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Para Athletics in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.

• Para Athletics in Andhra Pradesh
• Para Athletics in Arunachal Pradesh
• Para Athletics in Assam
• Para Athletics in Bihar
• Para Athletics in Chhattisgarh
• Para Athletics in Goa
• Para Athletics in Gujarat
• Para Athletics in Haryana
• Para Athletics in Himachal Pradesh
• Para Athletics in Jharkhand
• Para Athletics in Karnataka
• Para Athletics in Kerala
• Para Athletics in Madhya Pradesh
• Para Athletics in Maharashtra
• Para Athletics in Manipur
• Para Athletics in Meghalaya
• Para Athletics in Mizoram
• Para Athletics in Nagaland
• Para Athletics in Odisha
• Para Athletics in Punjab
• Para Athletics in Rajasthan
• Para Athletics in Sikkim
• Para Athletics in Tamil Nadu
• Para Athletics in Telangana
• Para Athletics in Tripura
• Para Athletics in Uttar Pradesh
• Para Athletics in Uttarakhand
• Para Athletics in West Bengal
• Para Athletics in Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• Para Athletics in Chandigarh
• Para Athletics in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
• Para Athletics in Delhi
• Para Athletics in Jammu & Kashmir
• Para Athletics in Ladakh
• Para Athletics in Lakshadweep
• Para Athletics in Puducherry