In order to foster a culture of sports in the state, then-Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, introduced a novel and unprecedented campaign called “Khel Mahakumbh” in 2010. This campaign altered the state’s sporting culture.
This “Khel Mahakumb” was the idea behind launching “Khelo India.” After almost 13 years, the goal of a single state would play a major role in developing organised talent identification, organised athletic competitions, and infrastructure at the grassroots level in India. Gujarat will send a robust team of 95 para-athletes to the upcoming Khelo India Para Games, including legendary Tokyo Paralympians Bhavina Patel, Sonal Patel, and Parul Parmar. Renowned figures like Bhavna Chaudhary, Rachana Patel, and Amrut Panchal will also take part in the upcoming esteemed occasion.
To say that Gujarat has been at the forefront of Para Sports wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Among the first to introduce parasports to the nation was Kanubhai. “People used to laugh when we said in 1984 that people with physical disabilities could participate in sports. Recalling the early days of para sports in the nation, Kanubhai says, “They believed that we were useless and that God had punished us for bad deeds in our past life.”
Gujarat began to make its mark in the nation’s parasports scene gradually after Kantibhai Parmar, the current President of the Para Association of Gujarat, successfully carried on the baton in the state.
The state is now the centre of the para-table tennis world. In the inaugural Khelo India Para Games, nearly thirty Gujarati athletes are competing in the sport.
The driving force behind the movement is Lallan Doshi, who serves as most of these players’ mentor and coach. “Sonal and Bhavina Patel have been playing table tennis for a while, but other girls didn’t start taking it seriously until after Bhavina won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Para Games. In addition to focusing on physical health and rehabilitation, we have created state-of-the-art facilities for players today,” Doshi says, describing the state’s rapid rise in para table tennis participation.
As a silver medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Para Games, Bhavina Patel is one of the nation’s most iconic athletes to date. “Winning the medal sent a strong message that Gujarati athletes can do amazing things at major sporting events. For athletes who don’t have enough national-level platforms to display their talent, the inaugural Khelo India Para Games is an incredible opportunity. These games are filled with such hope,” Bhavina remarks.
The fact that three female athletes with normal bodies competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and that an equal number of female athletes qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics shows how popular para sports have become in the state.
Gujarat’s able-bodied athletes failed to secure a medal at the recently concluded Asian Games in Hangzhou, China; however, a few days later, at the Para-Asian Games held in the same venue, Gujarat emerged victorious with seven medals.
Kantibhai Parmar, President of the Para Sports Association of Gujarat, is encouraged by the growth of parasports in the state and believes it will have a prosperous future. “We are very optimistic that the state will become a para-sports powerhouse and that our athletes will excel at the inaugural Khelo India Para Games. Gujarat’s para-athletes are prepared to put the state on the national sports map, despite the underperformance of our normal-body athletes to date.”
There are roughly ninety-five athletes registered for the Khelo India Para Games, which will start on December 10, 2023.
