Building a Para-Athlete Ecosystem in Rajasthan: Inside the Performance Centres in Jaipur and Jodhpur

Para sport in India has seen a remarkable rise over the past decade. Medal tallies at the Asian Para Games, Commonwealth Games, and Paralympics have climbed steadily. But behind every medal is an infrastructure story — one that is rarely told.

In Rajasthan, AFL has worked with the state to establish two dedicated Para Athlete Performance Centres — one in Jaipur and one in Jodhpur — to provide structured, science-backed support to para athletes across disciplines.

What These Centres Do

Both centres focus on the fundamentals that every serious athlete needs: scientific assessment, targeted conditioning, injury prevention, rehabilitation support, and regular performance monitoring.

For para athletes, this means assessments tailored to their specific functional categories — whether they compete in wheelchair events, visually impaired disciplines, or limb-difference categories. Training programmes are designed around their individual physical profiles and performance goals.

Why Jaipur and Jodhpur

Jaipur, as the state capital, serves athletes from across the state who travel for centralised training and competition. Jodhpur extends that reach into western Rajasthan, making specialist support accessible to athletes in a region that previously had limited infrastructure.

Together, the two centres create a regional support network that mirrors what we have built for able-bodied athletes — ensuring that para athletes in Rajasthan have access to the same quality of scientific care as their counterparts elsewhere in the country.

The Road Ahead

India's para sport ambitions are growing. Meeting them requires not just talented athletes but consistent, professional infrastructure to develop and sustain them. AFL's work in Rajasthan is a small but meaningful step in that direction.