New Delhi [India], November 21 (ANI): The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) secretary Jayawant Gundu expressed happiness with para athletes' performances during this year's Para Athletics World Championships held in the national capital this year and extended his gratitude to the Australian government and the Australian High Commission for providing support to Indian sporting ecosystem, especially para-sports, with a latest series of initiatives.

Gundu was speaking at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, where the Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong had come to meet Indian para athletes and announced some sports initiatives to boost the Australia-India relationship.

Speaking during his speech, Gundu said, 'It is my honour to welcome you on this momentous occasion, celebrating the strong bond between Australia and India in the area of sports. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Australian Government and the Australian High Commission for the support provided to the Paralympic Committee of India and other sports federations through programmes such as the Direct Aid Programme and the Australian Sports Award.'

'As mentioned, Madam (Wong) has mentioned already, we have tied up with the swimming, grassroot level and coaches programme. We have decided to host this programme. Since our team is participating in upcoming Dubai Youth Asian Games, we will be going in December) 7-14 (for the competition).

After that, we are doing this swimming programme. Also, in this stadium, we have hosted the World Championship 2025. You can see this Mondo track laid in India. It is the first kind of track. And all my athletes have performed very well. And the last World Championship, in Kobe, we got 17 medals. And with this track, we have achieved 22 medals in India. I am proud of my athletes. And we are proud of our support provided by the Government, especially our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sports Authority of India and the Ministry of Sports, etc.

As a small token of appreciation, I would like to present a piece of Mondo track (to Wong) that made this World Championship possible. This symbolises our commitment to promoting excellence in sports, our friendship with Australia,' he concluded.

As part of a growing partnership in sports, on Thursday, the Australian Foreign Minister announced initiatives to enhance India's sporting ecosystem by sharing Australia's world-class expertise, with a strong emphasis on para-athletics and elite coaching development.

-Para-athletic coaching

A capacity-building program for 20 Indian para-athletic coaches, delivered through the Australia Awards program to strengthen India's para-athlete development through targeted learning in Australia.

Through this short course, 'Championing Excellence: India-Australia Para-Athletic Coaching', Indian para-athletics coaches will gain exposure to Australian best practice in high-performance coaching, sports science, athlete development and inclusion frameworks.

Three main components of the course: online pre-learning, an Australian component and then applied learning back in India.

-Para-swimming collaboration

An Australia supported (through Direct Aid Program) para-swimming coaching workshop in India, delivered under the partnership between the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), the Para Swimming Federation of India (PSFI), and Swimming Australia (SA).

The workshop will provide training and capacity building to physical education teachers, coaches, athletes, sports administrators, and other relevant professionals at grassroots level across India.

The workshop aims to directly benefit at least 100 Indian coaches and athletes.

The broader partnership between PCI, PSFI and SA aims to help develop over 1000 skilled officials, including classifiers, coaches, and technical officials, leading to greater success and inclusivity in Paralympic sports in India.

-High-performance coaching program

The High-Performance Coach Development program, led by the Australian Sports Commission's high-performance arm, the Australian Institute of Sport, and in partnership with DFAT and Austrade, aims to position Australia as India's go-to partner for elite athlete development by providing world-class capability building to Indian coaches.

The program delivers a capability-building program for 15 identified Indian high-performance coaches, giving them direct exposure to Australia's world-leading Olympic and Paralympic athlete and coach development education. (ANI)