Paris [France], September 8 : Over the past decade, India has witnessed a remarkable transformation in its sporting landscape, emerging as a nation dedicated to excelling across various disciplines says Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) President, Devendra Jhajharia
This growth is exemplified by the recent success of Indian athletes at the Paris Paralympics 2024.
"In the past 10 years, there has been a lot of progress in sports...India is becoming a sporting nation...," Jhajharia said
"We have won 29 medals in the Paralympics, and I thank everyone for supporting us," he added.
His gratitude extended to the nation and the unwavering support from the government, especially highlighting the significant role played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"PM Modi supported the Indian Paralympic athletes a lot," Jhajharia emphasized.
The impressive medal tally is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the athletes, their coaches, and the entire support system that has been put in place over the years.
India has won 29 medals at the Paris Paralympics, including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze. Navdeep bagged the seventh gold medal for India at the Paralympics.
In the final, initially, Islamic Republic of Iran's Sadegh Beit Sayah took the top honours with a Paralympic record of 47.64m, and Navdeep finished second with a throw of 47.32m.
In the final, Sadegh was disqualified from the final. His disqualification has been "attributed to an alleged breach of Rule 8.1 of the International Paralympic Committee's code of conduct. This rule prohibits 'unsporting or improper conduct' during competitions," as per PCI media.
Rule 8.1 Of World Para Athletics Rules and Regulations (Code of Conduct and Ethics) States: "8.1. General - World Para Athletics (WPA) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and conduct in the sport of Para athletics. All participants in the sport, including athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators, have a responsibility to uphold these standards and ensure that the sport is conducted in a fair, honest, and transparent manner."
According to a statement by PCI media, in that respect, while the incident details remain murky, reports indicate Sadegh appeared to be unfurling a black flag, thereby giving reason to believe such an action may be considered improper conduct/unsportsmanlike, an act related to terroristic or uncivil activity.
Neither the officials nor any other persons have given specific information about the exact nature of this action and how it has violated the code of conduct. Having a flag black flag with objectionable inscriptions could be considered antithetical to an organization which has set strict participation rules for Russian and Belarusian para-athletes.
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