New Delhi, Sept. 26 -- For all intents and purposes, organising a multi-national event in India is akin to a grand wedding, and the first-ever World Para Athletics Championships is no different. The 12th edition of the championships was declared open by sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday with the venue, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, that now flaunts a freshly laid-out blue Mondo track and a fully refurbished lower tier comprising 10,000 seats. The revamped warm-up area -- complete with a new Mondo track and an expansive fitness centre that can accommodate 200 people at once -- was inaugurated by Mandaviya ahead of the two-hour opening ceremony. The track in the competition arena was inaugurated on August 29 after a four-month exercise overseen by technical experts from Mondo and World Para Athletics. "Rain was the biggest challenge. We factored in possible delays and anticipated a heavy monsoon and deployed multiple teams that worked round the clock to make it possible," Satyapal Singh, head coach of the para athletics team, said. Forty washrooms in the stadium - 20 fully accessible and 20 semi-accessible - have been reconstructed to meet the demands of para athletes. The stadium also has eight new elevators and ten revamped ramps to ensure smooth connectivity for para athletes. The entire project has cost the government approximately Rs 85 crore, with Rs 44 crore spent on the new tracks, both in the arena as well as warm-up area. The nine-day event (Sept 27-Oct 5) will feature 2,200 participants from 104 nations. Prime minister Narendra Modi lauded the athletes in his video message. "By breaking barriers and setting new benchmarks, para athletes have played a vital role in strengthening India's identity as a rising sporting hub, motivating millions to embrace sports as a way of life," he said. India is the fourth Asian nation after Qatar (2015), UAE (2019) and Japan (2024) to host the World Para Athletics Championships. "Sport has a great way of connecting people, transcending all barriers of religion, region and nationality. In today's world, it is all the more important to emphasize this unifying aspect of sport. I am sure the WPAC will have a similar impact on all the participants and spectators," the PM added. Addressing the spectators, the sports minister said, "Beyond infrastructure or ambition lies a deeper legacy: a transformed mind-set. We will leave behind accessible venues, stronger support systems for para-athletes, and a renewed national conversation around equal opportunity in sport. These are the true outcomes that will endure long after the medals have been awarded." The opening ceremony was also attended by MosS sports Raksha Khadse, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, tournament ambassador Kangana Ranaut, Delhi education minister Ashish Sood, and World Para Athletics head Paul Fitzgerald. "We are deep into planning for the Commonwealth Games 2030, and we have our eyes set on hosting the Olympic Games in 2036 with ambitions that will accelerate infrastructure, opportunity, and the sporting dreams of countless youth," Mandaviya added. India delivered their best-ever performance at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe last year (17 medals - six gold, five silver, six bronze) and finished sixth overall. This year, PCI has set the marker at 20 medals....