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The Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) scripted a historic moment at its Invitational 2026 Chandigarh Leg, held from 11 to 13 March at the Chandigarh Golf Club, by inviting three Special Olympics golfers, Ranveer Singh Saini, Kushagra Gaur and Mohit Kumar to play alongside professional golfers.
The occasion marked one of the most significant gestures towards inclusive sport. The event saw Indian Golf legend and defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar being crowned champion at the IGPL Invitational Chandigarh 2026 event, and the special Olympic golfers witnessed the amazing feat, according to a press release. Ranveer Singh Saini from Gurgaon is the first autistic Indian and a three-time Special Olympics World Games medalist (Gold 2015 at Los Angeles, Silver 2019 in Abu Dhabi, Gold 2023 in Berlin), a 13-time National Champion, and a recipient of the National Award in Sports from the President of India. Mohit Kumar, 21, from Hisar, is a rising talent who secured second place at the Special Olympics Bharat National Golf Championship and is a probable for the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile. Speaking on the momentous occasion, Ranveer Saini's father, Kartikeya Saini, shares, "IGPL has taken this initiative to invite these young golfers to play on their tour with some of the finest Indian golfers. The moment you do that, you have taken a giant step by playing alongside them." "Ranveer, Kushagra, and Mohit have bonded very well. IGPL has made them come together with high fives hugging each other after a good putt. It was great camaraderie that IGPL has brought amongst players with disabilities," added Mr Kartikeya Saini Kushagra Gaur, also from Gurgaon, is an international gold medalist at the Macau Special Olympics Golf Masters and has been competing on the IGU North India Feeder Tour against mainstream professionals since then. Both Ranveer and Kushagra train at DLF Golf and Country Club and are recognised in the Limca Book of Records. Kushagra's journey to golf began with cricket. His mother recalls that his natural ability to hit boundaries easily made the family consider a sport where individual focus and technical mastery could shine, and golf fit perfectly. Kushagra's mother, speaking on her son's natural transition from cricket to playing golf, shared, "He used to hit boundaries very easily during his school days, so we felt golf was all about hitting. And there was nobody to judge him. We never made him feel he had some limitation; we used to say, we can break it. Let's try." Reflecting on Kushagra's journey from Macau to the IGU North Feeder and expressing her gratitude to IGPL, Shweta Gaur, mother of Kushagra Gaur, shared, "Since 2018, he started playing the IGU Feeder. He was playing really good golf and competing with regular golfers. His score went from double-digit to single-digit. So, if there were 60 or 65 athletes, from that position, he went to like 10 or 12. He felt he had the potential." "The game of 18 holes requires a lot of discipline and a lot of determination. I felt my son Kushagra had the potential, and when IGPL approached us, we couldn't have been happier ", shared Kushagra's mother The Chandigarh Invitational is part of the IGPL's international tour circuit spanning India, Mauritius, Congo, and South Africa. For the families of the Special Olympic athletes, the invitation meant far more than a tee-off slot. The three athletes also formed a visible bond throughout the event Backed by its partnership with LIV Golf, the IGPL is creating a genuine pathway for Indian golfers, including pathway athletes, to be part of an international golf series. For Special Olympics golfers who have already competed on world stages, this partnership signals something unprecedented: the opportunity to be seen not as a separate category, but simply as golfers. Chandigarh 2026 is where that story began. (ANI)
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