“We can win 50 medals and be in top 10” – Devendra Jhajharia outlines goals for the 2036 Games ahead of Paris 2024 Paralympics

Ahead of the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympics, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) President Devendra Jhajharia spoke about the possibility of the Indian Indian para-athletes contingent winning 50 medals in the 2036 edition of the Paralympic Games, which India is currently attempting to host.

The 43-year-old former Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia spoke to PTI about India's ever-improving performances. He said that with every Paralympics, the nation can expect more medals and by 2036 aim to be in the top 10:

“We won 19 medals in Tokyo [2020 Paralympics], now we have a target of 25 in Paris [2024]. In 2028 Los Angeles, we can aim for more than 30 medals and 40 plus in 2032 [Brisbane Paralympics]. And by 2036, when hopefully India hosts Paralympics, we can win 50 medals and be in top 10.”

“We have the vision, we will progress steadily. We have started identifying talented junior players so that they can be trained for the 2028 and 2032 Paralympics through CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility],” he added.

Interestingly, Devendra Jhajharia is India’s most decorated Paralympian to date. The former para-athlete won a gold medal in the Athens 2004 Paralympics, then followed it up with another gold medal in Rio 2016, followed by a silver medal in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Jhajharia has also won multiple medals in the IPC World Championships and the Asian Para Games.

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“Our target in Paris is 25 medals” – Devendra Jhajharia sets ambitious objective ahead of upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympics

The Indian contingent will be sending in 84 athletes to the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympics, which will be the largest-ever contingent sent by the country to any Paralympic Games. The contingent includes former Paralympic gold medalists Sumit Antil and Avani Lekhara and up-and-coming stars such as Rudransh Khandelwal and Arshad Shaik.

As a result of the talent at the team’s disposal, Jhajharia is confident that India will better its medal tally from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, where the country’s para-athletes won 19 medals.

In his conversation with PTI Jhajharia spoke about the confidence behind the target:

“We had 54 participants in Tokyo and now we have 84 in Paris, the largest ever, and our target in Paris is 25 medals and maybe double-digit gold out of that, though I feel the colour of the medal is not that important than winning it.”

“Every athlete of ours is working hard and by virtue of their hard work I can say that we will win more than five [gold] medals, we might even touch double figures in terms of gold medals,” he added.

The Paris 2024 Paralympics is scheduled to begin on August 28 and will run until September 8.