Indian athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Paralympics since 1984 though they made their official debut at the 1968 Summer Paralympics.
Follow Us
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics witnessed a sensational performance from Indian athletes, with Neeraj Chopra winning a much-desired and glorious gold medal. The limelight now shifts to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics which is set to witness a total of 54 Indians participating across 9 sports. This is the biggest-ever contingent sent by India for an edition of the Paralympics, which is certainly an indication of the confidence in their capabilities. The Paralympics is set to begin on August 24 and will continue till September 5.
Here is a look at some of the basic yet vital information that fans in India will look to acquire as the para-athletes prepare to leave for the glorious event:
What is the duration of the Paralympic Games?
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics is scheduled to be conducted from August 24 to September 5. The event will witness the return of shooting, as well as two other sports that made their debut in the Rio Paralympics: canoe and triathlon. Indian athletes have appeared in every edition of the Paralympics since 1984. The upcoming edition will see sports such as badminton and taekwondo making their debut. A total of 539 events will take place in 22 different sports.
Where can one watch the Paralympics in India?
Any viewer can get access to all the action with regard to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics on Eurosport India and DD Sports. The Eurosport feed will also be LIVE on the discovery+ app.
How many Indian athletes have managed to qualify for the prestigious event?
54 Indian athletes will be competing at Tokyo Paralympics across nine sports. Archery, athletics, badminton, shooting, table tennis, para canoeing, swimming, powerlifting and taekwondo represent those events. This is certainly a massive increase in comparison to the previous edition of the Paralympics (in Rio in 2016), which witnessed the participation of only 19 Indian athletes.
Which are the disciplines in which India is competing for a medal?
Javelin thrower Devendra Jhajhariya is certainly one of the key performers. Jhajharia will be eyeing his third gold (after 2004 and 2016) in the F-46 javelin throw event. World champion Sandeep Choudhary, who also competes in the F-46 javelin throw is further a strong candidate. Mariyappan Thangavelu, who has been honoured with the prestigious Khel Ratna Award after his heroics in Rio in the previous edition, will aim for another gold rush at Tokyo. Ekta Bhyan, a 36-year-old club thrower and Varun Singh Bhati, a high jumper who competes in the T63 category, are among the others. Pramod Bhagat will further be one of the biggest hopes for India to win its first-ever Paralympics medal in badminton.
What is the schedule for Indian events in Tokyo Paralympics?
The participation of Indians will kick off from 27th August with Harvinder Singh, Vivek Chikara, Rakesh Kumar, Shyam Sundar Swami, Jyoti Baliyan set to be in action. This will be followed by Badminton on September 1st and 2nd. The last event will be Javelin throw on September 4th to wrap up the Indian participation. Here is the complete schedule for the Tokyo Paralympics.
What is the medium for live streaming the prestigious event?
Eurosport is the official broadcasting partner for Tokyo Paralympics in India. The entire event will be available for live-streaming on the Discovery+ OTT platform. The Tokyo Paralympics 2020 will also be available live on Digital Platforms including Prasar Bharati Youtube.
Who will be the flag bearer for India at the opening ceremony?
The Indian team will be led by Rio gold medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu. The Tamil Nadu resident will be competing in the high jump T63 event.
What time will the opening ceremony be held in India?
Tokyo is three and a half hours ahead of India. If the games are held at 20:00 Tokyo time, then it will be 16:30 PM IST.
