'Our heroes are ready to fight at LA Paralympics, India will win a lot of medals': PCI President Devendra Jhajharia

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of a felicitation ceremony in New Delhi, Jhajharia said India has already begun preparations for the Los Angeles Games and backed the athletes to bring home a rich medal haul.

"In the upcoming Los Angeles Paralympics, our players will give an even better performance. I hope that India will become a sporting country in the coming time. The Paralympics are a very big event. Our players are ready. We have even prepared for LA. Our heroes are ready to fight in the Paralympics. Just watch, India will win a lot of medals," said Jhajharia.

Jhajharia's comments came as SBI Life Insurance, in association with the PCI, felicitated India's para-athletes who won seven medals at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games -- three gold, two silver and two bronze.

Jhajharia said such gestures were about honouring not just the medal winners but the country they represent.

"This is the changing India. This is the new India. There is both prize and respect. So, I congratulate SBI Life Insurance a lot. Today, they respected the players. And it was not only the respect of the players, but it was also the respect of the entire country. Because the players who play for the country and win medals, they make the country proud. So, I believe that SBI Life Insurance has done a great job," said PCI President.

Jhajharia also stressed the importance of corporate involvement in para-sports, pointing to India's transformation from winning very few medals at the Paralympics to securing 29 medals at Paris 2024 and finishing 18th in the medal standings.

"Until the corporate people come forward, the performance will not be so good. There was a time when we used to win one or two medals, or we never even opened an account in the Paralympics. Today, we have won 29 medals in the Paris Paralympics. And we have been in 18th place in the medal tally. So, we have defeated some developed nations in this," he said.

The felicitation ceremony recognised Sharmila Dhankar, Dilip Mahadu Gavit and Soman Rana for their gold medals, Mohammed Basil Morssinganakath and Shubham Juyal for silver, and Shilpa Shyla and Jhandu Kumar for bronze.

India's para-athletes were among the standout performers at Glasgow, with six of the country's 16 athletics medals coming from para-athletics, including all three athletics gold medals.

The Glasgow campaign also contributed to India's overall tally of 39 medals -- 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze -- which saw the country finish fourth in the Games medal standings.

The event also underlined the growing role of institutional and corporate support in India's para-sports ecosystem as the country looks ahead to the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya and, ultimately, the Los Angeles Paralympics. (ANI)