Paralympic 2024: On Wednesday, Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya welcomed the Indian Para-Badminton contingent on their return to India. In Paris 2024, India had its best-ever performance in Para-Badminton, winning a total of 5 medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze). Dr Mandaviya informed, "So far, our players have won 3 Gold, 7 Silver, and 10 Bronze medals in the Paralympics.

In the coming days, our players will play for 11 more medals. I am confident that our success will increase even more. In the last Paralympics, we had won 19 medals, but this time we have won 20 medals so far, that is, our performance has been better than the Tokyo Paralympics. We should encourage our players more and use the Cheer4India hashtag to support them.

Addressing the players, Dr. Mandaviya expressed pride in their achievements and said, “You have made the entire nation proud with your stellar performance. Your hard work and dedication have set a new high for Indian sports.”

Encouraging the players who missed out on medals, Minister Mandaviya said, "We have not lost medals, but have gained valuable experience. I am confident that our medal count will increase further in future Paralympics, and all of you will emerge as winners." On India's performance in international sports events, Dr. Mandaviya said that our performance has continuously improved in the last ten years, and we have proved our strength on the global stage.

The Union Minister emphasized that the Government is fully committed to providing better facilities, training, and opportunities to para-athletes so that they can succeed at the highest level. He assured the team of continued support and encouraged them to aim even higher in future competitions.

These five medalists include Nitesh Kumar (gold), Suhas LY (silver), Thulasimathi Murugesan Murugesan (silver), Nitya Sare (bronze) and Manisha Ramadas (bronze). India has won a total of 20 medals in events till September 3, 2024, surpassing the previous record of 19 medals won at the Tokyo Paralympics.

During this, the para-athletes shared their experiences and thanked the government, especially for the support received under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. They credited this scheme for providing them with the necessary facilities and resources to succeed in their sports.