How Army Paralympic Node creates new pathways for injured soldiers through sports

“We train in seven different sports: para-athletics, para swimming, para-archery, para-canoe kayaking, para rowing, para-shooting. We have just ventured into paratriathlon a couple of years ago and we are still debating about wheelchair fencing.” Initially, APN had four athletes in nationals and now they have come with 17 athletes. “We go swimming with a team of seven to nine swimmers and we come back with 19 to 20 medals because in swimming, each person is allowed three events. We have around seven to eight shooters.”

A challenge Mehta and his men face is motivating the para athletes and getting them back to shape. “One has to realise that a person may be willing but due to the sedimentary life that he’s been living post-injury, his body doesn’t allow him to work out or train as a competitive athlete,” he says. “You have to undo everything and then start from the beginning.” Not all injured soldiers don’t end up in APN, either. “We take feedback from the coaches and evaluate everything and if we feel that despite all efforts a person will not be able to be part of the competitive sports then we have to send him back.”

He says that the Paralympic Committee of India too has been giving them immense support in terms of classification of our athletes on priority basis.

Mehta speaks of another para athlete. “Another story is about an able-bodied 1500m national participant who came fourth. He was in ASI and went on leave after the nationals. He was helping his father in the farms in his village. He had an accident and lost his hand from the wrist. This happened in December 2022. He worked hard, changed from 1500m to 400m in Para and represented India in the Asian Games.”

There are probably 48 different stories of 48 para-athletes training in different sports at the APN. All of them may not medal. But one thing is sure, sports have shown them direction, given them opportunities to fulfil their dreams.