23rd Usha National Athletics Championship for the Blind

The 23rd Usha National Athletics Championship for the Blind was held from 13th to 16th December 2024 in Nadiad, Gujarat, marking India’s largest sporting event for visually impaired athletes. Organized bi-annually by the Indian Blind Sports Association (IBSA), the championship brought together:

• 175 visually impaired athletes
• 50 guide runners, coaches, and managers
• 19 participating states

The event was sponsored by Usha International and co-powered by ISGEC Heavy Engineering Ltd.

Athlete Classification & Anti-Doping Awareness

On 13th December, the IBSA classification team assessed 80 new athletes from states including:

• Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, and others
• 8 athletes were found ineligible following classification

A parallel Anti-Doping workshop was led by Mr. Vikas Tyagi and Mr. Amit Khandelwal from NADA India, covering:

• Use of a dedicated mobile app for visually impaired athletes
• Distribution of the Braille Anti-Doping Guide
• Interactive Q&A with giveaways for 3 participants

Managers’ Meeting

The Managers’ Meeting covered event logistics, rules, and athlete coordination. Key figures Ms. Radhika Bharat Ram (IBSA Chairperson) and Mr. K. C. Pande (Blind Relief Association, Delhi) joined virtually to offer support.

Each team manager received:

• A Technical Handbook
• A Braille Anti-Doping Guide

Inauguration Ceremony

The opening ceremony on 14th December featured distinguished guests:

• Vipul Patel, Chairman, Amul Dairy
• Amit Prakash Yadav, IAS, Collector & DM, Kheda-Nadiad
• Swami Rameshwar Das, Shree Santram Mandir

Also present were:

• Kanlal Parmar, President, Para Sports Association of Gujarat
• Chandulal Bha, Secretary, Para Sports Association of Gujarat
• Dipali Rathi, President, Blind Sports Association of Gujarat
• Sudha K Patel, Committee Member

Dignitaries were felicitated with mementos and scarves.
Special honors went to:

• Kapil Parmar, Judo bronze medalist at the 2024 Paralympics
• Ashwin Makwana, 2022 Asian Para Games medalist

Championship Highlights & Record Breakers

Visually impaired athletes competed in track and field events under the T/F11 (blind) and T/F12–13 (low vision) categories.

Women’s Records

• T-12 Long Jump: Tejal Damor Amraji (Gujarat) – 4.39 m (National & Meet Record)
• T-13 Shot Put: Chetna Galch Ratabhai (Gujarat) – 6.63 m (National & Meet Record)
• T-13 Discus Throw: Chetna Galch Ratabhai – 18.63 m
• T-13 Javelin Throw: Chetna Galch Ratabhai – 25.73 m
• T-12 400m: Tejal Damor Amraji – 1:04.17 s

Men’s Records

• T-12 5000m: Saurabh Sharma (Himachal Pradesh) – 16:26.31 s (Meet Record)
• T-12 400m: Naveen Surla (Andhra Pradesh) – 53.8 s (National & Meet Record)

Team Championship Results

Men’s Categories

• T11 & F11: Tamil Nadu
• T12 & F12: Gujarat
• T13 & F13: Uttarakhand

Women’s Categories

• T11 & F11: Chandigarh
• T12 & F12: Maharashtra
• T13 & F13: Madhya Pradesh

Closing Ceremony

The championship concluded with a valedictory function attended by Ms. Kinnariben Shah, President of Nagar Palika, Nadiad.

Organizers applauded the dedication, sportsmanship, and unity of all participants. The success of the 23rd Usha National Athletics Championship reaffirmed IBSA’s commitment to advancing high-performance sports for the visually impaired in India.

Press Meet & Media Coverage

A pre-event press meet was held on 12th December 2024 at Hotel Centra, Ahmedabad, with over 15 journalists in attendance from leading media outlets such as The Times of India, Divya Bhaskar, DD News Gujarati, Sports 18, and PTI.

The event received extensive media attention, with coverage across 87 print, television, and online platforms.