Prime Minister felicitates India’s Asian Para Games 2026 contingent
Visakhapatnam-based Indian para-badminton coach M.V. Murali Krishna, whose team won 16 medals (three gold, five silver, and eight bronze), calls for grassroots-level growth to nurture India’s para-athlete talent
On November 5, 2026, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored the nation's Asian Para Games 2026 team at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi. Addressing the athletes, their families, coaches, and trainers, Mr. Modi noted that the contingent had amassed 114 medals, including 30 gold, 35 silver, and 49 bronze, surpassing India's performance in 2010 when they won one gold and 14 medals in total.
The athletes set five world records and nine Asian records, and 34 of the 56 female participants won medals. M.V. Murali Krishna, a coach from Visakhapatnam who trains the Indian para badminton team, highlighted that all of the badminton players were not from Andhra Pradesh and called for more representation from the region. Among the medalists, Ravanni Valasanaini, a visually impaired runner, won bronze in the women's 400m and 1,500m; Ravi Karthik Budigina of Jangareddygudem won India's first swimming medal, a silver in the men's 100m freestyle, and two more; and Ravi Rongali secured a bronze in the men's shot put.
The Prime Minister presented Murali Krishna with a memento made by an Etikoppaka artisan, expressing his desire to promote sports across various fields. Murali Krishna, who provides free coaching to para athletes at the Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium in Visakhapatnam, plans to organize local competitions for para athletes from the district and invite persons with disabilities to explore careers in para sports.
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