Hyderabad: The world’s first high-altitude sports centre for para athletes will be established in Leh, Ladakh, in India. The high-altitude sports centre is aimed at advancing the skills and confidence of all para athletes ahead of the 2028 Paralympics.

A Memorandum and Understanding (MoU) to establish the high-altitude sports centre was signed by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, and the Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF).

Once the high-altitude sports centre is completed it would be a hub for para sports in India.

The Aditya Mehta Foundation, in the meanwhile, will identify 15 children with special needs from the region and they will undergo training at the Infinity Para Sports Academy and Rehabilitation Centre in Hyderabad.

Adv Tashi Gyalson, the chief executive councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council said the 29 medals that Indian para athletes won at the 2024 Paris Paralympics is a testament of the talent India boasts in para sports and it is rightly done that Leh will be having the world’s first high-altitude training centre. “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 won 29 medals, including seven gold, in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris and it is a testament of the talent we have in our country,” Gyalson said, in a media release.

Aditya Mehta, the founder of the Aditya Mehta Foundation, said the shortlisting of Leh as a hub for para sports will commence a new era in India’s para sports ambit.

List of Sports to be included:

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.

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