Kalinga Stadium hosts National Para Athletics Championship

Key facts

• The National Para Athletics Championship is scheduled to be held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from 19 March to 21 March.
• A total of 1,460 para-athletes representing 28 states, the Border Security Force (BSF), and the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) will compete in 145 medal events.
• The tournament is organised by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) in collaboration with the Sports & Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, and the Para Sports Association of Odisha.
• The championship serves as a selection platform for the upcoming Asian Para Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from 18 October to 24 October.
• Notable participants include triple Paralympic medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu and double Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil, who recently threw 69.25m in the men’s Javelin throw (F43/F44/F64).
• Other prominent athletes in the event include Navdeep Singh (F41), Praveen Kumar (T64), Preethi Pal, Shailesh Kumar, Yogesh Kathuniya, Dharambir, and Pranav Soorma.
• Defending champions Haryana will field the largest contingent in this edition of the championship.
• The Odisha contingent comprises 40 athletes led by Suchitra Parida, the national record holder in the F55 Javelin throw event.
• The event will be inaugurated by Suryabanshi Suraj, the Minister for Sports and Youth Services of Odisha.