Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
PM Narendra Modi at WPAC 2025 Opening Ceremony: ‘Para Athletes Breaking Barriers, Setting New Benchmarks’
Union minister for youth affairs and sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya declared WPAC open
Team India will be represented by a record 74 athletes in biggest-ever para sports event on Indian soil
India will be fourth nation in Asia after Qatar, UAE and Japan to host WPAC
More than 2200 participants from 104 nations will take part in WPAC ending Oct. 5
Posted On:
25 SEP 2025 10:13PM by PIB Delhi
On a historic day for Indian sports, Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi said hosting the IndianOil New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships will reiterate India as a “sporting and inclusive” nation to the world. The opening ceremony of the WPAC 2025 was held at the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday evening.
In a special message welcoming around 2,200 participants from 100 nations, PM Modi said: “By breaking barriers and setting new benchmarks, para athletes have played a vital role in strengthening India’s identity as a rising sporting hub, motivating millions to embrace sports as a way of life.”
India is the fourth Asian nation after Qatar (2015), UAE (2019) and Japan (2024) to host the world para athletics championships. The event is being organized by the Paralympics Committee of India.
Saying India was “proud” to host the WPAC 2025, PM Modi said: “Sport has a great way of connecting people, transcending all barriers of religion, region and nationality. In today’s world, it is all the more important to emphasize this unifying aspect of sport. I am sure the WPAC will have a similar impact on all the participants and spectators.”
The colourful opening ceremony was attended by the Hon’ble Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, the Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Smt. Raksha Khadse, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi Srimati Rekha Gupta, Hon’ble Member of Parliament Srimati Kangana Ranaut, the Hon’ble Education Minister of Delhi, Shri Ashish Sood, Mr Paul Fitzgerald, the head of World Para Athletics, along with Ms. Kangana Ranaut, Member of Parliament.
The WPAC will be the first event on the newly-laid Mondo track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The track, in shades of blue and used at the Paris Paralympics 2024, was inaugurated by Dr Mandaviya on August 29, celebrated as the National Sports Day. On Thursday, At the stadium complex, Dr Mandaviya also inaugurated a Mondo warm-up track and a multi-specialty gymnasium where more than 200 athletes can train simultaneously.
“For India, this world para athletics championships are about pride, progress, and purpose. We have assembled our largest-ever para contingent of 74 athletes, a testament to how deeply para-sports have taken root in the country. Champions such as Sumit Antil, Preethi Pal, Deepthi Jeevanji, Dharambir Nain, and Praveen Kumar will compete on home ground,” said Dr Mandaviya, who declared the WPAC open.
The WPAC events start on September 27. One hundred and eight-six gold medals will be up for grabs. Mr Fitzgerald said: “Spectators inside the stadium and a global audience around the world will experience the brilliance of the athletes competing in newly renovated facilities designed to maximise their skill, speed and strength. Yes, world records will be broken. Yes, world champions will be crowned. But not every athlete will achieve their dream of being on the podium with their national anthem playing. There will be many triumphs but also many disappointments. I invite everyone to experience all of the emotions with the athletes.”
Hosting the WPAC is part of India’s plans to host global events regularly and test its capabilities to stage bigger multi-sport championships. Dr Mandaviya said: “We are deep into planning for the Commonwealth Games 2030, and we have our eyes set on hosting the Olympic Games in 2036 with ambitions that will accelerate infrastructure, opportunity, and the sporting dreams of countless youth. As the Prime Minister has said, “Sport not only creates champions; it also promotes peace, progress and wellness.” That is the guiding light of our sporting journey.
Dr Mandaviya also said how the WPAC will boost capacity building. He said: “Beyond infrastructure or ambition lies a deeper legacy: a transformed mind-set. We will leave behind accessible venues, stronger support systems for para-athletes, and a renewed national conversation around equal opportunity in sport. These are the true outcomes that will endure long after the medals have been awarded.”
India’s top athletes, many of them Paralympic medallists and world champions in their categories, relish home conditions at the Nehru Stadium. In Kobe, Japan, India delivered their best-ever performance at a World Para Athletics Championships: 17 medals — six gold, five silver, six bronze — finishing 6th overall. In the 2023 edition in Paris, India had already broken its earlier record by winning 10 medals (3 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze), setting the stage for what followed.
PM Modi lauded India’s rising dominance in para sports. “The remarkable performances of para athletes have redefined the meaning of resilience and determination, inspiring both sportspersons and common people across the world. Their achievements have ignited a collective belief that no challenge is surmountable.”
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Rini Choudhury/Anjelina Alexander
(Release ID: 2171509)
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