DD India

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has announced the inaugural Khelo India Para Games, scheduled to take place in Delhi from December 10 to 17, 2023. The event will be held across three stadiums in the national capital, namely the IG Stadium, Shooting Range in Tughlaqabad, and the JLN Stadium.

Designed to spot talent and provide a platform for emerging para-athletes, the Khelo India Para Games will feature 1350 participants from 32 states and Union Territories competing in seven disciplines: para-athletics, para shooting, para-archery, para football, para badminton, para table tennis, and para weightlifting.

Para-athletes, including recent Hangzhou Asian Para Games stars such as Sheetal Devi, Bhavina Patel, Ekta Bhyan, Neeraj Yadav, Singhraj, Manish, Sonal, Rakesh Kumar, and Sarita, are expected to represent their respective states in this inaugural edition.

The Khelo India Games initiative, introduced by the Indian government in 2017, aims to rejuvenate the sports culture in India at the grassroots level. The program seeks to establish a robust framework for all sports, positioning India as a prominent sporting nation. Since its inception in 2018, the Khelo India Games have evolved, encompassing five Khelo India Youth Games, three Khelo India University Games, and three Khelo India Winter Games.