Government Rewards Paralympians with Cash Prizes for Historic Performance

The Indian government, following the nation’s record performance in Paris earlier in September, announced additional awards for Paralympic medallists. During a felicitation event on Tuesday, September 10, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya awarded monetary awards for the athletes who earned a medal in Paris.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mandaviya stated that the government will award the gold medallists with Rs 75 lakh, the silver winners with Rs 50 lakh, and the bronze medallists with Rs 30 lakh. Athletes who perform very well in mixed team competitions—like archer Sheetal Devi—will get Rs 22.50 lakh. In addition, the sports minister promised to provide para-athletes with all the resources they need to pursue additional gold in the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.

“In parasports and the Paralympics, the nation is growing. India went from having 4 medals in 2016 to winning 19 in Tokyo and 29 in Paris, where it placed 18th,” Mandaviya stated.

We’ll provide our para-athletes access to all the facilities possible so we can bring home more medals, including gold ones, in the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028,” he continued.

At the Paris 2024 Games, India’s Paralympic team had the best campaign they had ever had, winning an amazing 29 medals (seven gold, nine silver, and thirteen bronze). India, which finished 18th in the overall medals table and broke its previous record, made history during the Paris Games by becoming a major player in the para-sports world.

India triumphed against formidable opponents including South Korea, Belgium, Argentina, Switzerland, and South Korea, all of which trailed India in the rankings, and hailed its outstanding overall performance in a variety of sports.

Navdeep Singh won gold in the men’s javelin throw F41 division on Saturday, earning India its 29th and final medal. Initially, Navdeep had beaten China’s Sun Pengxiang to win a silver medal with a throw of 47.32 meters. But later on, after Iran’s Beit Sadegh was eliminated due to a code of conduct infraction, his medal was upgraded to gold.

India’s track and field competitors were very successful in Paris, adding 17 medals, including four gold ones, to the total. Preethi Pal created history by winning two bronze medals in the 100- and 200-meter (T35) sprints, making history, while Navdeep’s gold served as payback for missing out on a podium finish in the Tokyo Paralympics.