Ends campaign with 111 Medals, their best ever

The 303 strong Indian contingent (191 Male athletes & 112 Female athletes) displayed unwavering determination and resilience as they ,created history as they ended their campaign with a record haul of 111 medals (29 Gold, 31 Silver and 51 Bronze) on the final day (Saturday 28th October, 2023) of the 4th Asian Para Games that was hosted by Hangzhou, China.

The medal tally was infact the highest by the country in any major international multi-sport event (Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games) and four medals (107) more than that was won by their fellow able-bodied athletes during the 19th edition of the Asian Games that was concluded at the same venue earlier this month.

India in the process occupied fifth position among 43 Asian nations in terms of overall medal’s tally behind host China (521 medals: 214 Gold, 167 Silver, 140 Bronze), Iran (131 medals: 44 Gold, 46 Silver, 41 Bronze), Japan (150: 42 Gold, 49 Silver, 59 Bronze) and South Korea (103: 30 Gold, 33 Silver, 40 Bronze)   

Earlier in the inaugural Para Asian Games that was held Guangzhou, China way back in 2010, India had finished 15th with 14 medals, including one Gold. Four year later, India finished ninth and later in the 2018 Asian Para Games that was held in Jakarta, Indonesia where they had achieved a personal best of 72 medals (15 Gold, 24 Silver, 33 Bronze)

Earlier Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, expressed joy as Indian athletes won their 100th medal at the multi-sport event in Hangzhou on the concluding day, after Dilip Mahadu Gavit helped India reach the coveted three-figure mark by bagging the Gold in the Men's 400m-T47 with an impressive time of 49.48s which was one among the four won by India in addition to two Silver, and six Bronze medals. won the Gold in the Men's 400m-T47 with an impressive time of 49.48s. He hailed the athletes, coaches and their support system for the historic feat.

Hailing the the athletes, coaches and their support system for the historic feat Narendra Modi in a social media post said “100 MEDALS at the Asian Para Games! A moment of unparalleled joy. This success is a result of the sheer talent, hard work, and determination of our athletes. This remarkable milestone fills our hearts with immense pride. I extend my deepest appreciation and gratitude to our incredible athletes, coaches and the entire support system working with them. These triumphs inspire us all. They serve as a reminder that nothing is impossible for our youth."

Speaking about the record-breaking performance, Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports said, "This performance reflects the hard work of our athletes and the introduction of the right policies in sports under the leadership of Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Be it the Khelo India Scheme at the grassroots level or the Target Olympic Podium Scheme for elite athletes, the support extended through these schemes is indeed showing results now. You will be happy to know that 8 Khelo India Athletes and 46 TOPS athletes participated in the Games and brought in a total of 38 medals out of 111. Also, the increase of sports budget by three times as compared to 2014 has also given us the ability to extend better support to all our athletes, be it in terms of coaches, training, foreign exposure, diet, infrastructure."

 He also added, "The spectacular performance of athletes at the recently-concluded Asian Games as well as these Para Asian Games and the last Olympics, Paralympics, CWG, Deaflympics, goes to show that India's power in sports is growing. And like Honourable PM said at the IOC meeting recently, India is not just performing well but is also ready to host big events, be it Youth Olympics in 2030 or the Summer Olympics in 2036."