The love and recognition I get today as a Paralympic champion, took years of systemisation. I was an undiscovered child in Kishtwar, but over the years with access to good coaching and holistic support, I became the Sheetal Devi that the world knows today.
While mine has been a success story, sometimes an equally capable child like me in a remote village somewhere does not even know that para sport exists.
The difference between the two is usually not talent. It is opportunity. I’m grateful I’ve had that.
Across India, especially in villages and small towns, there are thousands of children with disabilities who have incredible potential. Many of them are never discovered. Some do not know where to train. Others have never met a coach who understands para sport. That is why I believe India’s newly revamped Khelo India Scheme (KIS) has the potential to become a turning point for all sports, and especially para sports.
The five-year scheme, envisioned by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is investing ₹29,054crore purely on development.
The nine major components in this ambitious scheme includes talent identification, coach and support staff development, and most importantly, strengthening infrastructure and high-performance training environment.
I received support from coaches, from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), from the government, and more. I never felt that anything important was missing from my preparation. That support gave me confidence to dream bigger and compete with the best in the world.
But my story should not remain an exception.
I am equally encouraged by the revamped KIS’s emphasis on strengthening para training facilities and accredited academies. Not every child can travel hundreds of kilometres to find a coach or a training centre.
Many talented children remain in villages because the facilities simply do not exist nearby.
If quality para-sport academies, trained coaches and accessible infrastructure become available closer to where children live, families will feel more confident abouten couraging them to take up sport. For many parents, that assurance makes all the difference.
What excites me most about the new-look KIS is that it recognises that talent cannot wait to be discovered. By creating a larger pool of Para Khelo India Athletes and introducing Emerging Khelo India Athletes, the scheme aims to identify promising children much earlier and support them through every stage of their development.
For para-athletes, early identification is especially important. Many children with disabilities begin sport later than others, not because they lack talent, but because they lack awareness, coaching or opportunity.
As the scheme promises, if we can identify them early and provide sustained support, we can transform their sporting journeys before they even begin to doubt themselves.
The revamped scheme also lays focus on para-sports specific academies and centres, and identifies them as one of the biggest strengths in sports development. A child should not have to leave home simply to find a coach who understands para sport.
My own experience taught me how much confidence comes from knowing that nothing important is missing from preparation.
Every competition teaches lessons that training alone cannot. The expansion of Khelo India Para Games means more young athletes will get chance to build confidence and it will sharpen their performance.
I have personally taken part in the archery competitions at the Para Games, which is part of the annual sports competitions organised under Khelo India, and this brings forth the best talent on to a competitive podium.
The greatest impact of the revamped KIS may not be measured only by the number of medals India wins.
It will be gauged by the number of children with disabilities who begin to believe that they belong in sport. That confidence cannot be measured in statistics, but it is where every medal-winning journey begins.
Lastly, I truly believe the Khelo India scheme’s real success will be seen when children with disabilities from every district, every village and every corner of India begin entering sport with confidence, knowing that there is now a pathway waiting for them.
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