World's First High Altitude Para Sports Centre To Be Set Up In Ladakh
The first of its kind in the world-a high-altitude para sports centre specifically designed to train and nurture para-athletes in the country will be set up in Leh, Ladakh and focus on preparation for international meets - the ultimate aim being to prepare para-athletes for the 2028 Paralympics.
This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh and the Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF).
The para high-altitude sports centre will offer the Indian para-athletes as well as other para-athletes from the world inclusive of world-class training, giving them an edge, unique in training environments, and a chance to the Indian para player to train alongside game champions.
"It is a very proud feeling for us that Leh will be establishing the world's first-ever high-altitude centre for para sports. Indian para-athletes have been leaving undeniable marks at the world stage with 29 medals, including seven gold, that India won in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris is a testament to the talent we have in our country.".
"I am quite sure that this centre would not only help in tapping the potentials of the region but would also contribute a lot to India's journey to feature in top-10 countries by the next Paralympics," said Advocate Tashi Gyalson, Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of Ladakh (LAHDC).
Adding, "This centre would help these athletes train at world-class facilities and boast Ladakh with pride on global platforms".
Under the MOU, the AMF officials till the time the centre gets completed would identify Children with Special Needs (CwSN) from Leh-Ladakh UT region and they will undergo screening, counseling, and training at AMF's Infinity Parasports Academy and Rehabilitation Centre, that is Asia's first Para Sports Academy and Rehab Centre, in Hyderabad.
This preliminary phase will lay down basic skills and provide necessary rehabilitation to the budding athletes of Ladakh region.15 youths from Ladakh region will soon be dispatched for training in Hyderabad as screening at sub-divisional levels will be made.
To make the project a success, the CEC declared a committee to be specifically formed that will govern the development of the centre and ordered officials to identify land for the facility.
List of Sports:
Para Sports: Archery; Athletics; Badminton; Blind Football; Boccia; Canoeing; Cycling; Equestrian; Goalball; Judo; Powerlifting; Rowing; Shooting; Volleyball; Swimming; Table Tennis, Taekwondo; Triathlon; Wheelchair Basketball; Wheelchair Fencing; Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Tennis.
Winter Games: Para Alpine Skiing, Para Biathlon, Para Cross-Country Skiing, Para Ice Hockey, Para Snowboard, and Wheelchair Curling.
