Five sports wheelchairs boost Bangladesh Para Games preparations

Bangladesh's preparations for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games received a boost on Monday with the handover of five sports wheelchairs to athletes attending the national training camp.

The initiative, led by the National Paralympic Committee of Bangladesh (NPC Bangladesh), aims to improve access to specialised equipment and strengthen the performance of wheelchair-using athletes in training and competition.

Mohammad Zahid Parvez Chowdhury, Director (Sports) of the National Sports Council (NSC), was the chief guest at the handover ceremony.

Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chapol, president of the Bangladesh Archery Federation, Professor Dr Md Monirul Islam of Popular Diagnostic Centre's Department of Physical Medicine, NPC Bangladesh Secretary General Dr Maruf Ahmed Mridul, Deputy Secretary General Md Hedayatul Aziz, Treasurer Md Asiful Hasan Masud and Executive Member Md Anwar Kabir Chowdhury attended the event.

Speakers stressed that specialised equipment is essential to translating athletic ability into competitive performance. Unlike conventional wheelchairs, sports wheelchairs are designed to provide greater manoeuvrability, control and efficiency for specific sporting requirements.

NPC Bangladesh said the equipment would support athletes' training and competition needs while contributing to a more structured and competitive preparation programme for the Asian Para Games, scheduled to be held in Japan from 18 to 24 October.

The committee is also working to strengthen athlete support, technical assistance, talent identification, national competitions, coaching and sports classification as it seeks to broaden Bangladesh's Para sports pathway.

Recent preparations have included athletes from six disciplines: Para athletics, Para archery, Para badminton, boccia, Para swimming and Para table tennis.