Sabarmati Riverfront welcomes 100-plus para-archers from around 20 nations as Home Minister links the event to Ahmedabad's CWG 2030 and 2036 Olympics ambitions
Ahmedabad hosted Stage 3 of the 2026 World Archery Para Series from September 5 to 9 at the Sabarmati Riverfront, marking the first time India has staged a leg of the international ranking tournament, according to The Tribune and myKhel.
The event drew archers from roughly 20 countries, including China, Korea, Iran, France, Germany, the United States and Canada, competing across the recurve, compound, W1 and visually impaired (VI) divisions, The Tribune and myKhel reported. The series had earlier stopped in Bangkok in April and Czechia in late June and early July, with Stage 4 due in Santiago, Chile, in October, per myKhel.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the event via video conferencing, according to The Hans India and the Daily Prabhat. Reports on athlete numbers varied slightly by outlet, with The Hans India and Daily Prabhat citing 108-109 athletes from 19 countries and The Tribune and myKhel citing around 20 countries and 20-nation representation.
India fielded a 29-member contingent, with 11 of those archers already selected for the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya, Japan, according to The Tribune. The squad completed a training camp at the Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar from August 23 to September 2, per The Tribune.
The Indian line-up included Paris Paralympics medallists Sheetal Devi, Rakesh Kumar and Harvinder Singh, plus World Archery Para Series medallist Shyam Sunder Swami and World Championships medallist Toman Kumar, The Tribune reported. Sheetal Devi, 19, is the reigning world number one and world champion in the women's compound category, according to Daily Excelsior.
Team coach-cum-manager Surender Singh Randhawa described it as "an important ranking tournament" ahead of the Asian Games, noting that "the best talent of the world will be here to participate," per The Tribune and The Hans India.
World number one and reigning champion in women's compound; born without arms, she draws the bow using her foot and shoulder.
Paris Paralympics medallists competing as part of India's 29-member squad at the event.
World Championships medallist named among the notable Indian competitors at the Ahmedabad leg.
Addressing the inauguration, Amit Shah said India's sporting ambition "is not just to win the most medals, but to enhance its strength in international competitions like the Olympics and Asian Games," according to The Hans India.
Shah welcomed international participants by citing India's philosophy of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" — the world is one family — and said champions are shaped by "consistent hard work, dedication and a strong will to win," per The Hans India and Yardbarker.
The Hans India reported that Shah outlined plans to develop Ahmedabad as a global sporting destination, including international-standard coaching and training facilities, and positioned the city as a future hub for sports engineering, sports medical science and sports injury rehabilitation. He tied these ambitions directly to Ahmedabad's roles as host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games and as a bidder for the 2036 Olympics, and noted Gujarat has hosted about 10 international sporting events across 2025 and 2026.
It is India's first-ever hosting of a World Archery Para Series leg, giving Ahmedabad a concrete data point in its case as an international event city ahead of 2030.
Shah explicitly linked a mid-tier para-sport ranking event to the city's largest ambitions — the CWG 2030 and 2036 Olympics bid — rather than treating it as a standalone fixture.
It is Stage 3 of the 2026 World Archery Para Series, an international para-archery ranking tournament held at the Sabarmati Riverfront from September 5-9, 2026 — India's first time hosting a leg of the series.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the event via video conferencing.
India's 29-member squad included Paris Paralympics medallists Sheetal Devi, Rakesh Kumar and Harvinder Singh, along with Toman Kumar and Shyam Sunder Swami.
Reports cited roughly 19 to 20 participating countries, including China, France, Germany, the USA, Canada, Korea and Iran.
Amit Shah linked the tournament to Ahmedabad's broader sporting ambitions, citing its role as host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games and as a bidder for the 2036 Olympics.
The Tribune | The Hans India | Daily Excelsior | myKhel | Yardbarker