President of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and Assam's Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, made the announcement that the BAI will award a total of INR 50 lakh to the medallists from the Paris Paralympics 2024 in recognition of their extraordinary efforts that made history. India scored podium finishes in the women's competitions for the first time at the recently finished Paralympic Games in Paris, and they won five medals in badminton—one gold, two silver, and two bronze—the most in the history of the sport.

In the men's singles SL3 category, Nitesh Kumar won the desired gold, while in the men's singles SL4 category, Suhas Yathiraj added a repeat victory in Paris to his silver haul from Tokyo. Three Indian women shuttlers, Thulasimathi Murugesan, Manisha Ramadass, and Nithya Sre Sivan, created history by winning medals at the Paralympics. In the Women's Singles SU5 competition, Thulasimathi won silver while Manisha took home the bronze. In the meanwhile, Nithya placed third in the SH6 division. Nitesh, the gold medal winner, will take home a purse of INR 15 lakh, while Suhas and Thulasimathi, the silver and bronze medallists, will get INR 10 lakh and INR 7.5 lakh, respectively.

 

"Indian Para badminton players have been performing consistently on the world stage and the cash rewards are just one way BAI to recognise their efforts in helping the country win medals at the Paralympics," BAI Secretary General Sanjay Mishra said in response to the historic campaign of the country's para badminton players."Many more initiatives to develop para-badminton are being undertaken, and BAI is committed to developing and promoting para-badminton throughout the nation and helping these players achieve much greater success," he continued. In light of the players' busy tournament schedules, BAI will also set up a virtual meeting with them to offer congratulations and learn about their needs for future growth.