First batch of Indian athletes left for Paris with the hope of winning more than 10 medals

The first batch of Indian Paralympic athletes, led by star javelin thrower Sumit Antil, has left for the Paris Paralympics with an optimistic note of winning at least a dozen medals, including five gold. The para players have left a little in advance to acclimatize themselves to the conditions. Its 16 para-athletes will march into the Games Village on 25 August, three days ahead of the opening ceremony, and will be housed in hotels in Paris for a few days prior.

Apart from Antil, who aims to be the first Indian para-athlete to defend his title won at the Paralympics, he and other Indians will go for a training camp at facilities close to the French capital to acclimatize themselves to the weather. Events in para-athletics are slated to begin on August 30 and go on till September 8, the closing day of the Paralympics.