Prime Minister Narendra Modi met India’s Asian Para Games 2026 contingent at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and hailed their record-breaking campaign. The 97-member Indian contingent won 114 medals тАФ 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze тАФ India’s best-ever performance at the Asian Para Games, finishing fourth in the overall standings. Addressing the athletes, coaches and officials, Modi said their struggles and achievements are an inspiration for the entire country.
A record campaign in Aichi-Nagoya
India’s para-athletes competed at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and returned with the country’s biggest medal haul at the event. The 114 medals included 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze, along with five world records and nine Asian records. It was the second consecutive edition in which India crossed 100 medals, improving on the previous best of 108 medals, including 27 gold, achieved at the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China. India also secured two shooting quotas for the 2028 Summer Paralympics during the campaign. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse were present at the New Delhi interaction, along with officials from the Paralympic Committee of India and the Indian Olympic Association and representatives of the National Sports Federations.
Modi’s message: LA 2028 is the next goal
Modi urged the athletes to use the Aichi-Nagoya success as a launch pad for bigger goals. “The next goal of India and most of you is Los Angeles 2028. Our goal is to have as many Indian players in LA 2028 as possible and win as many medals as possible,” he told the gathering. In a post on X after the meeting, the Prime Minister listed the campaign’s headline numbers тАФ 30 gold medals, five world records and nine Asian records тАФ and said the athletes had made the entire country emotional with their performance. He also spoke of a wider sporting push, noting that the government had approved the Khelo India sports goods manufacturing scheme, worth more than Rs 1,800 crore, a few days earlier.
A new chapter for Indian para sport
The meeting marked the formal homecoming for a contingent that has changed how India sees para sport. From 108 medals in Hangzhou to 114 in Aichi-Nagoya, the steady rise reflects deeper investment in training, equipment and support for para-athletes across the country. The Prime Minister’s interaction, held at around 4:30 pm on Thursday, brought the athletes, their coaches and the sports administration together on one stage тАФ a recognition of a campaign that finished with India fourth overall and with its para-athletes carrying the country’s flag into the build-up for Los Angeles 2028.
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