Miniscule participation in most events at World Para Athletics Grand Prix, but organisers say that’s ok

There were events like men’s Discus throw F44-64, where three Indians Devender Kumar, Pardeep Kumar, and Devendra Gahlot participated and finished on the podium.

Despite such scant participation in most events, medals were given to everyone and ranking points were also counted as per the World Para Athletics website.

While this is the first time India was hosting an event of such stature in Para Athletics, the absence of elite Indian para athletes painted a grim picture. There were several reasons for this, one of them being the late inclusion of the event in the calendar.

“This event was not in our plans. I had trained for just two weeks and ran here. Our main focus is on the World Para Athletics Championships later in the year,” double Paralympic medallist sprinter Preeti Pal told The Indian Express.

Dry run for World Championships

India is set to host the World Para Athletics Championships for the first time in September. The Grand Prix was scheduled at the last moment and was held at a time when most athletes are yet to return to the track after the Paris Paralympics.

“Usually, there is a dip in participation after a Paralympic year. This is a pattern we have observed for some time. A lot of athletes skip the early months of the next year. We have conducted 16 editions of the Grand Prix in Dubai and still face the same issue after a Paralympic year. We hosted it last month and our numbers were lower than expected,” Asian Paralympic Committee president Majid Rashed said.

“The top stars will be here during the World Championships.”

The reason for giving the event to India at the eleventh hour was to give the country some experience of conducting such an event before the World Championships.

“It is very important to have an event like the Grand Prix before a big event like the World Para Athletics Championships. It is a rehearsal in some respects,” said Majid. “It was an event conducted at a very short notice by the Paralympic Committee of India. The Para Athletics calendar is stacked, and there was no other window.”

Main focus on classification

“A Grand Prix is a major event of the world Para Athletics calendar. It’s mostly done for classification and is beneficial for our players to get classified here,” Paralympic Committee of India president Devendra Jhajharia said.

“When I used to compete at the Dubai Grand Prix back in the 2010s, they had the same issues. It’s a good start as organisers for us.”

The last-minute hosting of the tournament meant there was very little marketing of the event and poor spectator turnout.

“My only suggestion to the local organising committee will be to spread more awareness about the event. People want to watch para sports and if it is marketed better and there is awareness about the event, I am sure spectators will turn out fine,” multiple Paralympic champion Vanessa Low of Australia said.

Apart from the elite Indian athletes, a lot of foreign stars also didn’t turn up due to various reasons.

India finish with 134 medals

The Indian contingent ended the Grand Prix with 134 medals – 45 gold, 40 silver, and 49 bronze.

Paralympic medallist Preeti Pal won a bronze in the Women’s 200m T 35-38 event while another Paralympian Ravi Rangoli came third in the Shot Put F 40-41 event.

In the last event of the day, India had a podium sweep in the Men’s 5000m T11–T12 event, as Sharath bagged gold, Saurabh claimed silver, and Ankur took home the bronze.

India had another podium sweep in the Men’s Shot Put F11–F20 category, as Sagar clinched gold with a throw of 11.47 metres, followed by Janka Singh (9.91m) and Balaji Rajendran (9.89).

Low soared to gold in the Women’s Long Jump T38, T44, T61 with a leap of 4.96 metres. Zhanana Fekolina (4/13m) claimed silver, while India’s Bhavani Munniyandi earned bronze with a jump of 3.51m.

Annual affair

A World Para Athletics Grand Prix will now be held every year in Delhi till the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.

“This is a long-term agreement between India and World Para Athletics. The New Delhi Grand Prix will be held for the next four years,” Martin Chorley, Senior competition manager, World Para Athletics, said on Thursday.

This is a significant development in the light of India’s aspirations to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

“As we are looking to host the 2036 Olympics and Paralympics, events like the Grand Prix will help our preparations in that regard,” Jhajharia said.