Devendra Jhajharia in Paris

Devendra Jhajharia, president of the Paralympic Committee of India, is optimistic about India's prospects at the upcoming Paris Paralympics, targeting at least 25 medals from an 84-member contingent competing across 12 disciplines. Despite the exclusion of star athlete Pramod Bhagat, who is suspended for 18 months due to a doping violation, Jhajharia believes the team can maintain morale and perform well. He emphasized that the current target is based on careful monitoring of the athletes' training and performance. This year's contingent is significantly larger than the 56 athletes who participated in the Tokyo Paralympics and includes new events such as Blind Judo and Para Sailing. Jhajharia highlighted the hard work put into the athletes' physical and mental preparation, and expressed confidence that the team can surpass its previous medal tally of 19 from Tokyo. The Paris Paralympics are scheduled from August 28 to September 8, 2024.