India will kick off their 2024 Paris Paralympics campaign on Thursday, 29 August, following the opening ceremony in the French capital. This year, India has sent its largest-ever contingent to the Paralympics, with 84 athletes participating in the mega event. In comparison, India had sent 54 athletes to the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020. At the Tokyo Games, India secured a historic total of 19 medals, consisting of five golds, eight silvers, and six bronzes. Expectations are high this time, with India aiming to win at least 25 medals in Paris Paralympics.
Athletes taking part in events
On the first day of the competition, Indian archers, including Tokyo bronze medallist Harvinder Singh and two-time Hangzhou Asian Para Games medallist Sarita, will be competing.
Shuttler Krishna Nagar, who clinched gold at the Tokyo Games, is aiming to secure another gold in Paris. He will compete in the first group stage match of the men’s singles SH6 category. Another shuttler, Nithya Sre Sumat, will also be in action, competing in the women’s singles SH6 category. Aruna will be competing in Para-Taekwando.
India’s schedule for Day 1 at Paris Paralympics
| Sport | Time (IST) | Player(s) | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Para Badminton | 12:00 | Nitesh Kumar/Murugesan Thulasimathi vs Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj/Palak Kohli | Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 12:40 | Sivarajan Solaimalai/Nithya Sre Sumathy vs Miles Krajewski/Jayci Simon (USA) | Mixed Doubles SH6 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 14:00 | Mandeep Kaur vs Mariam Eniola Bolaji (Nigeria) | Women’s Singles SL3 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 14:00 | Manasi Joshi vs Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh (Indonesia) | Women’s Singles SL3 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 14:40 | Sukant Kadam vs Mhd Amin Burhanuddin (Malaysia) | Men’s Singles SL4 Group Play Stage |
| Para Taekwondo | 14:34 | Aruna Tanwar vs Nurcihan Ekinci (Turkey) | Women K44 -47kg Round of 16 |
| Para Badminton | 15:20 | Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj vs Hikmat Ramdani (Indonesia) | Men’s Singles SL4 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 15:20 | Tarun vs Rogerio Junior Xavier de Oliveira (Brazil) | Men’s Singles SL4 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 16:00 | Nitesh Kumar vs Manoj Sarkar | Men’s Singles SL3 Group Play Stage |
| Para Cycling Track | 16:25 | Jyoti Gaderiya | Women’s C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying |
| Para Archery | 16:30 | Sheetal Devi, Sarita | Women’s Individual Compound Open Ranking Round |
| Para Archery | 16:30 | Harvinder Singh | Men’s Individual Recurve Open Ranking Round |
| Para Badminton | 16:40 | Palak Kohli vs Milena Surreau (France) | Women’s Singles SL4 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 17:20 | Thulasimathi Murugesan vs Rosa Efomo de Marco (Italy) | Women’s Singles SU5 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 19:30 | Manisha Ramadass vs Maud Lefort (France) | Women’s Singles SU5 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 19:30 | Sivarajan Solaimalai vs Subhan (Indonesia) | Men’s Singles SH6 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 19:30 | Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan vs Jayci Simon (USA) | Women’s Singles SH6 Group Play Stage |
| Para Archery | 20:30 | Rakesh Kumar, Shyam Sundar Swami | Men’s Individual Compound Open Ranking Round |
| Para Archery | 20:30 | Pooja | Women’s Individual Recurve Open Ranking Round |
| Para Badminton | 22:10 | Nitesh Kumar/Thulasimathi Murugesan vs Hikmat Ramdani/Leani Ratri Oktila (Indonesia) | Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 Group Play Stage |
| Para Badminton | 22:50 | Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj/Palak Kohli vs Lucas Mazur/Faustine Noel (France) | Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 Group Play Stage |
