Asian Para Games: Can Indian Para-athletes script another 100-medal triumph despite smaller contingent?

Archer Sheetal Devi of India prepares to shoot during the Paralympic Games in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (File Photo/ AP) Indian para athletes will look to build on the country’s remarkable rise in international para sports as the fifth edition of the Asian Para Games kicks off on October 18 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. After India’s fourth-place finish at the 2026 Asian Games, the para contingent will aim to continue the country’s impressive medal-winning run at the continental event.India will be at the event on the 18th-24th. October to represent 166 athletes in 10 disciplines. The contingent includes several Paralympic medalists, world champions and budding talents, including archer Sheetal Devi, badminton stars Pramod Bhagat and Suhas Yathiraj and para-table tennis player Bhavina Patel.India’s recent appearances at the Asian Para Games and the Paralympics have made the country increasingly a competitive force in para sports. From 14 medals at the inaugural edition in 2010 to a record 108 in Hangzhou in 2023, the progress has been remarkable. The challenge in Aichi-Nagoya will be to build on that foundation and show that the momentum can continue, even with a smaller contingent.Can India cross the 100-medal mark in the second consecutive edition? While the size of this year’s squad makes the comparison with Hangzhou particularly interesting, India’s established medal winners and growing strength across the disciplines are cause for optimism.

166 athletes in 10 disciplines: India’s medal prospects

The Indian contingent consists of 111 male and 55 female athletes, along with 94 team officials and support staff and 15 contingent staff.Para-athletics has the largest share with 62 athletes, followed by para-badminton with 28 and para-swimming with 16. Para-shooting has 13 athletes, para-archery and para-table tennis have 11, respectively. The remaining disciplines are blind football (10), para-powerlifting (eight), para-judo (seven) and para-cycling (one).The team brings together renowned international artists and athletes who want to make it on the continental level. Sheetal, Pramod, Suhas and Bhavina are among the prominent names to watch, while para-athletics should play a central role in India’s medal campaign.

From 14 medals to 108: India’s remarkable rise

India’s journey at the Asian Para Games offers a compelling picture of steady improvement. The country won 14 medals at the inaugural edition in 2010, including one gold, four silver and nine bronze, finishing 15th in the standings.Four years later, India retained 15th place but more than doubled its tally to 33 medals – three gold, 14 silver and 16 bronze.The breakthrough came in 2018 when India secured 72 medals, including 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze, to climb to the ninth position. In Hangzhou 2023, the contingent made another huge leap, winning 108 medals (27 gold, 32 silver and 49 bronze) and finishing fifth.

The progression through four editions reflects the growing depth of Indian para sports:

India has improved its medal tally in each edition so far, while making significant gains in the rankings. The jump from 72 to 108 medals between the 2018 and 2023 editions was particularly impressive, marking the first time the country has broken the 100-medal mark.Aichi-Nagoya offers another opportunity to extend this progress and build on the foundations established in the previous decade.

The Paralympic success underscores India’s growing potential

The rise in the Asian Para Games has been accompanied by a remarkable improvement in India’s performances in the Paralympics.India finished 43rd in the 2016 Rio Paralympics with four medals. At Tokyo 2020, the country bagged 19 medals – five gold, eight silver and six bronze – to finish 24th. The momentum continued at Paris 2024, where India achieved its all-time Paralympic haul of 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze, to finish 18th.These results underline the progress made by Indian para-athletes and have helped raise expectations ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Can India repeat their 100-medal feat?

India’s record performance of 108 medals in Hangzhou naturally raised expectations ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. However, the contingent this time numbers 166 athletes compared to 309 in the previous edition.This represents a reduction of 143 athletes, or approximately 46%. A smaller squad makes repeating the previous tally a tough goal, but that doesn’t diminish the importance of the opportunity ahead of the contingent.India’s able-bodied athletes also competed with a smaller contingent at the 2026 Asian Games, with the team size dropping from 661 in Hangzhou to 495 in Aichi-Nagoya. India finished with 85 medals (21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze) after winning 106 in the previous edition.The drop of 21 medals came along with a reduction of approximately 25% in the number of athletes. The comparison offers an interesting point of reference, although it cannot be directly applied to the para-contingent, as the two competitions have different event structures, athlete profiles and medal opportunities.If the relationship between contingent size and medal output at the Asian Games was used purely as a mathematical illustration, a 46% reduction in the Indian para contingent could indicate a medal tally of around 68. However, such a figure would only be a theoretical estimate, not a reliable prediction of the outcome.A more encouraging perspective comes from India’s own history at the Asian Para Games. The country won 72 medals in 2018 with 211 athletes before improving to 108 medals in 2023 with 309 athletes. These results show that medal conversion depends on much more than contingent size.The quality and competitive experience of the athletes, their event specialization and their ability to deliver on the day will all affect India’s final results. A smaller team can still produce an impressive return if its members make the most of their medal opportunities.

Aichi-Nagoya: Another opportunity to raise the bar

India’s fourth-place finish at the Asian Games provided a positive backdrop for the para contingent, although the able-bodied athletes’ final tally of 85 medals was lower than their total of 106 in Hangzhou.The Asian Para Games represent a new opportunity for India to highlight the breadth of its sporting progress. The country’s para-athletes have steadily improved their medal totals, climbed the continental rankings and carried that momentum onto the Paralympic stage.The immediate goal will be to perform strongly in the 10 disciplines and make the most of the opportunities available. A second consecutive 100-medal haul would be a landmark achievement, while another strong overall showing would further cement India’s position among Asia’s leading para-sporting nations.The numbers suggest that matching Hangzhou will be a challenge, but the bigger story is the remarkable journey that has taken India from 14 medals in 2010 to 108 in 2023.