Tokyo [Japan]: Discus thrower Vinod Kumar and javelin thrower Tek Chand are among the five Indian athletes who will attend the Tokyo Paralympics opening ceremony. A total of 54 para-athletes from across nine sports disciplines will be featuring in the Paralympic Games. This is India’s biggest ever contingent to Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Games is scheduled to be held between August 24 and September 5. Thangavelu Mariyappan, Rio 2016 Gold Medal winner, will be the flag bearer of India in the opening ceremony. Powerlifters Jai Deep and Sakina Khatun are the other para-athletes who will attend the Paralympics opening ceremony. Gursharan Singh, India’s Chef de Mission, Deputy Chef de Mission (CDM) Arhan Bagati, and coach of para-athletics team Satyanarayana are among the six Indian officials who will attend the opening ceremony. During the opening ceremony, the Indian contingent will enter the stadium from gate number five. Meanwhile, Vinod Kumar has been reclassified in the T/F52 category ahead of the Games. And thrower Tek Chand has been classified in the T/F55 category, though at the previous classification he had been classified in the T/F54 category. Satyanarayana, the chairperson of Indian Para Athletics, was happy that Vinod Kumar’s classification was as per expectation. “Vinod Kumar’s re-classification in his own category is a great news. India’s chances of winning a medal in this category are bright and any change here would have been a big blow to Vinod Kumar and the Indian contingent,” said Satyanarayana in a statement. “Tek Chand on other hand has been classified in one category above and hence his competition will be that much tougher, but we are sure that he will give his best,” he added.
