At a grand farewell ceremony organized at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday, Union Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao unveiled the official team jersey and kit, and extended his best wishes to the athletes. The first batch of players will depart for Tokyo on November 13 (Thursday).
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, congratulated the contingent and said, “India’s progress is now visible in global events for specially-abled athletes as well. Under our commitment to inclusivity and excellence, it is a matter of pride that we are sending the largest-ever Indian team to the Deaflympics. This is not only about medals, but a celebration of the spirit of competing with full determination.”
India will participate in 11 sports this year — athletics, badminton, golf, judo, karate, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, wrestling and tennis.
The Deaflympics are organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), and are recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the world’s second-oldest multi-sport event.
India’s pride — Jerlin Jayaratchagan
Twenty-year-old Jerlin, from Madurai in Tamil Nadu, made her Deaflympics debut in 2017 at the age of 13. She created history at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics (held in 2022) in Brazil, winning three gold medals in women’s singles, mixed doubles and the team event. She was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2022, becoming the first Indian woman Deaflympian to receive this award.
Expressing her feelings on being chosen as the flagbearer, Jerlin said, “This is an emotional and proud moment for me. I am participating in my third Deaflympics, but this is the first time I will carry the Indian tricolour. This responsibility represents the dreams of every athlete in our contingent.”
High hopes from shooting team
India has strong expectations from its shooting contingent as well, especially from Dhanush Srikanth, who won two gold medals in the previous Deaflympics. He said, “Representing India is a matter of pride. I will give my best to win gold for the country again.”
India’s best-ever performance in 2021
In the 2021 Deaflympics, India participated with 39 male and 26 female athletes and achieved its best-ever performance, winning 16 medals — 8 gold, 1 silver and 7 bronze — finishing ninth among 77 countries.
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