Ladakh:To empower para sports in Ladakh, Hill Council in collaboration with Aditya Mehta Foundation is planning to open the world’s first High Altitude High-Performance Para Sports Centre here. It aims to become a global hub for training para-athletes across all 28 parasports disciplines.
The new centre will be the world's first high-altitude, high-performance para sports facility, strategically leveraging Ladakh's unique geographical advantages. The high altitude is expected to enhance athletes' lung capacity, providing an ideal training environment in preparation for global events, including the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.
Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Leh, Adv. Tashi Gyaltson in a press release said, "The high-performance centre will create unparalleled opportunities for athletes from Ladakh to excel in parasports, enabling them to gain dignity and recognition on the global stage."
"This initiative would not only foster athletic talent but also serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for individuals with disabilities, showcasing their potential," added Gyaltson.
Aditya Mehta, Founder of Aditya Mehta Foundation said, "People from various parts of the country are coming to Ladakh for better training opportunities, and their lung capacity is truly remarkable. I am confident that the athletes trained here will perform better than those from any other region in India."
Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Leh, Adv. Tashi Gyaltson with Aditya Mehta, Founder, Aditya Mehta Foundation and their members. (LAHDC, Leh) "The high altitude of Ladakh provides an exceptional environment for building endurance, which you can't find easily elsewhere. In most high-altitude training centres, like those used for cycling or para-cycling, the terrain is typically hilly. Training on hills every day, however, can lead to muscle loss. Strength and conditioning workouts should ideally be done once or twice a week to avoid this," said Mehta.
"But in Ladakh, we have the unique advantage of flat terrain at high altitude. This allows athletes to 'live high and train low,' which is a proven strategy for peak performance - something that countries like China and the US follow to win the most medals," he added.
The larger vision behind this is to prepare athletes for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with a focus on maximum participation from Ladakh. The facility is designed to benefit children with special needs not only from Ladakh but from across India and beyond.
Aditya said, "We come to high-altitude locations for training for a few days before international tournaments, which can impact our performance. Recently, the para-cycling team trained here before the (Paris) Paralympics as well. During one of our high-altitude training camps for the Paralympics, I met with the Chief Executive Councillor of LAHDC, Leh, Adv. Tashi Gyaltson. I presented him with a proposal, and he was very supportive."
"He immediately expressed his commitment to start funding the initiative together. His vision is to see the maximum number of participants from Ladakh in the 2028 Paralympics," added Mehta.
The mission of the Ladakh Parasports Academy is to screen, identify, and nurture aspiring athletes, guiding them to discover their best-fit sport and shaping them into world-class competitors.
Sonam Wangchuk, Chief Education Officer, Education Department Leh, said, "We lack sports infrastructure for specially-abled children in Ladakh. There has been a request to allocate 30 kanals of land in Chushot, and we have written to the tehsildar to begin the demarcation process."
"This would greatly benefit specially-abled children, as they currently only receive basic education up to the 10th or 12th grade, without opportunities to develop their skills further. While reservations exist, we don't have a track record of how many have secured jobs or started businesses. Excelling in sports would provide lifelong benefits, allowing them to not only support themselves but also their families," said Wangchuk.
"Currently, the education system offers limited support, and most high school infrastructures are not designed to be inclusive for specially-abled students. Improving sports opportunities would boost their financial condition, build confidence, and strengthen them morally," added Wangchuk.
Aditya Mehta Foundation has conducted screening at four centres in Leh including Govt High School Chuchot, PAGIR, Munsel and Rewa Society in Ladakh (which caters to specially abled children) and has selected seven specially abled children for training in Hyderabad.
"While screening, the children were very excited and the energy levels of the children were next level. Most of the children when we met, 90 per cent of them were not aware of what is parasports and only 10 per cent of them were aware of it. We believe in making them train every day," said Mehta.
"Till the time we build this centre, we are planning to take the children to Hyderabad and start training them with whatever we have. We have also given them a list after screening. The second part of the screening will be online this week, it will include those children, who were not able to join the first screening because they were living in different parts of Ladakh," he elaborated.
"We have identified seven students so far, though there are more children who could benefit. The challenge is that we require more escorts, as the children have higher levels of disability and need proper care. Even with the seven selected children, we need four escorts to provide the necessary support," he said.
"Our organization is fully committed to offering free training, accommodation, food, and adaptive devices for these children. However, since each child has a different level of disability, we need customised sports adaptive devices, which we aim to secure through CSR funding. I've also requested the CEC's assistance in collaborating on this, as these devices are quite expensive. We might have to spend Rs four to seven lakhs per child. It takes time to assess and customise the appropriate adaptive equipment for each child's unique needs," added Mehta.
"We are expecting that people will come from worldwide because they will not get this kind of high altitude to train. The accessibility aspect is also important, making it an ideal destination for athletes," he noted.
"Many children with special needs in rural areas often feel like a burden to their families. Society tends to view them with pity. This sympathy is misplaced. Once these children engage in parasports, I am confident that their potential will shine. Today, when I invite them to warm up with me, they can barely keep up for more than five minutes. Now, I jokingly call them 'bechara.' But through sports, we aim to help them earn their dignity, which is our primary mission," said Mehta.
He added, "The project involves an investment of around Rs 30 to 35 crores and includes the construction of an indoor velodrome along with facilities for various indoor sports. We aim to complete this within the next two to 2.5 years, provided everything goes as planned. Once the groundwork is in place, we will begin seeking CSR funding and sponsors, in collaboration with the Hill Council, to ensure that the project is self-sustaining and does not rely solely on individual efforts. The goal is to create a long-term, sustainable model."
Councillors, LAHDC Leh with the specially-abled children.
