Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the World Para Athletics Championships.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The 2025 World Para Athletics Championships (WPAC) was officially declared open at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday with a ceremony that aimed to highlight the infrastructure inclusivity at the upgraded venue.
More than 2,200 participants from 100 nations will be participating in the event starting Friday. India is the fourth Asian nation after Qatar (2015), the UAE (2019) and Japan (2024) to host the competition. With 74 participants, India will be fielding its largest-ever contingent in the event, hoping to improve at home on its previous best of 17 medals it won in Kobe last year — six gold, five silver, six bronze — finishing sixth overall.
“By breaking barriers and setting new benchmarks, para athletes have played a vital role in strengthening India’s identity as a rising sporting hub, motivating millions to embrace sports as a way of life,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a video message.
The WPAC will be the first event on the Mondo track at the stadium. The event was opened by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya who also inaugurated the newly-laid Mondo track in the warm-up arena and the new state-of-the-art fitness centre at the complex.
Published – September 25, 2025 10:58 pm IST