Under PM Modi, no stone will be left unturned to support para athletes: Raksha Nikhil Khadse

Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports was the chief guest for the closing ceremony of the Khelo India Para Games at IG Stadium in New Delhi. Haryana won the team championship ahead of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi: The Hon’ble Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports Smt. Raksha Nikhil Khadse hailed the successful organization of the Khelo India Para Games 2025 which came to an end on Thursday.

Close to 1300 athletes took part in six para disciplines at three venues in Delhi. Haryana won the team championship ahead of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Smt. Khadse, who was the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the Khelo India Para Games 2025 at the IG Stadium, said that the Indian government was fully committed to promoting para sports through various initiatives.

“Under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi ji, no stone will be left unturned to support para athletes,” Smt Raksha Khadse said during the closing ceremony.

She added: “The para athletes, who won medals in this tournament have provided immense motivation to everybody. This Khelo India Para Games also saw huge participation from the athletes belonging to North East states. 18 national records were set up, of which 12 were made by women. 400+ women participated in this tournament and it is heartwarming to see such immense participation from women. We are expecting a lot of athletes from Khelo India Para Games 2025 to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics and are hopeful that they will bring a lot of medals.”

During the ceremony, which also marked the World Accessibility Day, Smt Khadse launched the ‘Handbook on Accessibility of Sports Facilities’ in the presence of former India cricketer Syed Saba Karim, Smt. Sminu Jindal of Svayam, the official accessibility partner for Khelo India Para Games, and Shri Mayank Srivastava, Deputy Director General, SAI.

Smt Khadse was all praise for women athletes who participated at the Khelo India Para Games, highlighting that out of the 18 records created at the Games 12 were created by them. “It only proves that our women have come a long way and they deserve to be supported at all levels,” she said.