A decade ago, Matilda Fonseca, a wheelchair basketball player and powerlifter from Madurai, had to scour for sponsors to cover travel expenses for tournaments. The conditions for para-athletes were terrible, she says. “With no cash prizes, we had to take up jobs and find sponsors ourselves.”
Today, says Matilda, she coaches more than 10 women wheelchair basketball players in Chennai. “The numbers are growing, which is a good sign.”
It’s also helping that the govt is taking note. Nearly one in 10 of those supported by Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu’s beneficiary schemes are para-athletes. The govt recently approved a `9.9cr paralympic multi-sports complex in Coimbatore. Spread over 42,764sqft, it will house indoor courts for wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, boccia, badminton and table tennis, along with a multi gym, yoga room, first aid medical unit and accessible locker rooms, including tactile guiding tiles from the entrance to the ramp. Across
Tamil Nadu, SDAT has also established courts and halls for para badminton, sitting volleyball, boccia, para judo and para weightlifting.
“Basic infrastructure such as accessible changing rooms and restrooms were missing earlier,” says Ranjith Kumar, who coaches more than 100 para-athletes under SDAT in Madurai. “Now, athletes can focus entirely on training without worrying about all this.”
Tamil Nadu has also set up hostels in Chennai and Madurai for para-athletes, accommodating 25 who train full-time. Five have so far got employment under the state’s 3% sports quota.
Ranjith, a Dhyanchand Awardee and former Asian and Commonwealth Games medallist, and one of the most recognised para-athletics coaches in Tamil Nadu, is a polio survivor, whose entry into sport followed years of personal and financial hardship. After losing his father at a young age and later becoming wheelchair bound, he discontinued his studies after Class 10 and took up odd jobs.
“For persons with disabilities, the hurdles are dependence on others, lack of self-confidence and social stigma. We never see ourselves as athletes,” he says. “So, that’s where I start. I first help a person who comes to me to see themselves as an athlete.” Ranjith adds that he also tailors his coaching to each athlete’s ability. For wheelchair-bound athletes, the focus is on upper-body strength, balance and proper throwing mechanics, he says. “Many compete in discus throw, shot put, javelin and para powerlifting, which rely on upper-body strength. Athletes with partial limb impairment participate in track events, long jump, para badminton, para table tennis, swimming and field events.”
“More para athletes began to emerge from districts and rural areas, says para-weightlifting coach Vijayasarathy G in Chennai. “I have identified three to four athletes from places such as Erode and Tiruvannamalai in the past few years, areas from where we usually do not see many athletes. Things have changed to a level where, if we organise a state meet, we now have para-athlete representation from all 38 districts.”
At the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Trophy Games, para events include wheelchair table tennis, adapted volleyball, blind cricket, kabaddi for the hearing impaired and football for athletes with cerebral palsy.
However, challenges remain. Selvamani L, a para-athlete from Sivaganga, says there are several districts that lack infrastructure. “Athletes from Tuticorin, Kanyakumari, Karur and Erode still find it difficult to train. The number of people willing to coach para-athletes is few. We also need specialist doctors to make regular rounds to support athletes’ physical and mental health,” he says.
SDAT member secretary Meghanatha Reddy says the state won 47 medals at the 23rd National Para Athletics Championships held in Chennai in 2025. “We are now looking at including structured mental health support for athletes,” he says.
8,727 para-athletes received cash awards from SDAT in the past three yearsPara-athlete wins from Tamil Nadu- Paralympics 2024, Paris: 4 medals
- Para Asian Games 2022, Hangzhou: 15 medals
- BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2024: 7 medals
- Khelo India Para Games 2023: 42 medals
- National Para Athletics Championships 2024, Goa: 34 medals, 2nd place
- National Para Athletics Championships 2025, Chennai: 47 medals, 2nd place
How sport made a difference their livesS PrasanthDiscus throwerIntroduced to sport by a schoolteacher in Class 7, Prasanth, who has cerebral palsy, says he now trains seven hours a day. “Before I got into sports, I wouldn’t even step out alone. I had no confidence. I was nervous about travelling short distances and avoided social gatherings. Now, I am recognised as an athlete. It’s boosted my self-esteem,” says Prasanth, a bronze medallist in shot put and discus throw at the National Para Athletics Championship 2025. “When I meet others like me, including wheelchair users, I tell them that these opportunities exist. I show them how sport has changed my life.”
Sonai MJavelin throwerSonai, who works with ICF Indian Railways, says training with other para-athletes is his safe space. “Most able-bodied athletes will not understand the challenges and experiences of a para-athlete, which is why when I train with others like me, it motivates me,” says the 37-year-old.
Sandhya VPara badminton playerCoimbatore-based Sandhya, who recently won gold at the Asian Youth Para Games 2025, says she has her sights set on the Los Angeles Paralympics 2028. “People would keep telling my parents not to spend money on my training or travel for competitions. But they never listened. They would travel with me, encouraging me every step of the way, however expensive. Once I reached a certain level, the medals brought in money, fame and respect,” says Sandhya, who is working on starting an academy for para badminton.
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