Para Élan Launches in New Delhi: 300 Students Step into the World of Para Sports

Rakesh Thapliyal 

New Delhi, August 7 2026: 300 students from Delhi’s government and private schools stepped onto the field at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex for the flagship launch of Para Élan, an initiative built to change how young people understand disability, not through a lecture, but through experience.

Para Élan was launched in April 2026 following the signing a Memorandum of Understanding by Mr Grégor Trumel, Country Director, French Institute in India (IFI), and Mr Satya Parkash Sangwan, Vice-President, Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), in the presence of H.E. Mr Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India. Building on the legacy of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, this initiative aims to reach over 10,000 students across India over the next three years by combining French language learning through IFI’s flagship French for All, French for a Better Future programme with para sports and global citizenship education.

The 300 students who took part were from Grades 7 to 9, evenly divided between those enrolled in IFI’s French for All, French for a Better Future programme across six CM Shri (Chief Minister Schools of High Relevance and Innovation) government schools—CM Shri School, INA; CM Shri School, Shalimar Bagh; CM Shri School, Lajpat Nagar; CM Shri School, Surajmal Vihar; CM Shri School, Dwarka Sector 5; and CM Shri School, Dwarka Sector 10—and students from four private schools with established French language programmes: Modern School, Barakhamba Road; Modern School, Vasant Vihar; Tagore International School; and The Mother’s International School. The initiative was designed to foster meaningful exchanges between students from diverse educational backgrounds, bringing together two school communities that would otherwise rarely share a playing field.

Students took part in hands-on para sports activities, including one-legged badminton, blind goalpost, wheelchair table tennis, and wheelchair cricket, each designed to let them feel, even briefly, what para-athletes experience every day. Running alongside was a creative and journalistic workshop organised with The Junior Age, India’s leading newspaper for children, where students reflected on their experience and interviewed para-athletes directly, with a selection of their work to be published in The Junior Age.

The event was made even more inspiring through the presence of some of India’s accomplished para athletes, who interacted directly with students, shared their personal journeys, and demonstrated the power of resilience through sport. The participating athletes included Paralympic medallist and one of India’s leading high jumpers Sharad Kumar, International para open water swimmer and world record holder Shams Alam, Keshav, Uday Pratap Singh, Manihash, Piyush Gupta, Chirag, Raj Kumari, Manoj, Yogesh Soni, Wasim, Gayatri and Kumari Poonam. Their interactions gave students a unique opportunity to hear first-hand stories of determination, perseverance, and excellence, reinforcing the core message of Para Élan—that sport has the power to break barriers, change perceptions, and build a more inclusive society.

Senior representatives from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Department of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi, the Paralympic Committee of India, and the Embassy of France in India attended the event alongside a motivational video message from their French counterparts.

Beginning with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at the Embassy of France in India in April, Para Élan has now translated from paper to playground, where 300 students experienced what that partnership means in practice. Reflecting on this shift, H.E. Mr Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, remarked:

“Para Élan reflects the shared commitment of France and India to building a more inclusive future through education and sport. By bringing young people together to experience adaptive sports firsthand, this initiative reminds us that inclusion is not simply a value to uphold, but one to practise. It also illustrates the potential of the French language to foster genuine human connection and promoting opportunities for innovation. We hope these students leave today not only with new experiences, but with a renewed understanding of the strength that diversity brings to our societies.”

Dr. Payal Bansal Kanodia, Chairperson, Paralympic Committee of India expressed “Education and sport have across the course of human civilisation, remained two of the most transformative forces for shaping not only capable individuals but compassionate societies. It is this shared conviction that makes our collaboration with the French Institute in India and the Embassy of France particularly meaningful. Through Para Élan, we are not merely introducing students to para sport; we are inviting them to reimagine the very meaning of ability, resilience and human potential. By combining the universal language of sport with the richness of cultural exchange and the opportunity to learn French, we are opening doors to global perspectives while nurturing values that transcend geographical boundaries.

For me, Para Élan is ultimately about changing mind-sets before it changes statistics. It is about ensuring that the next generation grows up recognising inclusion not as an act of accommodation, but as an instinctive way of thinking. Over the next three years, as this initiative reaches thousands of students across India, I hope it inspires every young participant to embrace diversity with respect, celebrate courage in all its forms, and recognise that true excellence is never defined by physical ability alone, but by the strength of one’s character, the resilience of one’s spirit, and the willingness to uplift others along the way. Because the most enduring victories are not always won on the field they are won when society learns to see ability where it once saw limitation. We would also like to thank M3M Foundation for their support.”

By bringing adaptive sport and elite athletes directly to the students, Para Élan did more than raising awareness for a single day. The initiative sought to shift how young people think of para sports by integrating its core values of inclusion, resilience, equality and excellence in educational ecosystems.

ABOUT PARA ÉLAN

Para Élan is a three-year Indo-French initiative led by the French Institute in India (IFI), the Embassy of France in India, and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), promoting inclusion, resilience, equality, and diversity through French language learning under IFI’s French for All, French for a Better Future programme, alongside para sports and global citizenship education.

ABOUT THE FRENCH INSTITUTE IN INDIA

The French Institute in India (Institut Français en Inde) is the educational, scientific, and cultural department of the Embassy of France in India. It facilitates academic and scientific exchanges between higher institutes of learning and research, enables student mobility, and promotes the French language as well as artistic and cultural dialogue. Cooperation between India and France takes place through several sectors: Arts and Culture, Books and Ideas, French Language and Education, Study in France programme, Academic Partnerships, Science and Technology, as well as Innovation and Multimedia.

Website: www.institutfrancaisindia.in

ABOUT THE PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE OF INDIA

The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) is the apex governing body responsible for the promotion, development and governance of para sports in the country. PCI works towards identifying, nurturing and supporting para athletes while promoting inclusivity and excellence in sport. The Committee prepares Indian para athletes to compete at the highest level in international competitions, including the Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Para Games and World Championships, with the vision of establishing India as a leading para sporting nation.