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New Delhi Grand Prix: Preview and how to watch first-ever GP in India

Paralympic stars Vanessa Low, Joeferson Marinho, Praveen Kumar and Preeti Pal are among top names competing at India's first Grand Prix at the same venue that will host this year's World Championships in New Delhi 10 Mar 2025
A long jumper in action
Australian star Vanessa Low, who retained her Paralympic title in Paris last summer with a new world record in the women's long jump T63, will be looking to start the year strong in New Delhi.
Ⓒ Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
By World Para Athletics

New Delhi, the capital of India, is set to stage the country’s first-ever World Para Athletics Grand Prix with 283 athletes from 20 nations ready to dazzle at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium over the next three days.

It is the same venue that will host the World Para Athletics Championships in six months' time, making the Grand Prix a great opportunity for athletes and teams to get familiar with the conditions they will find in New Delhi in September. 

The venue

Built to host the Asian Games in 1982 and later renovated and upgraded for hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the JL Nehru Stadium is one of the most popular stadiums in the country with a seating capacity of 60,000 spectators.

The stadium, mainly used for football and athletics, boasts of nine-lane synthetic track and one of the largest membrane roof systems in the world. The stadium will receive a new track for the World Championships.

Top names

Australia’s Vanessa Low is the most famous international star competing in New Delhi. She is a three-time Paralympic champion in the women’s long jump T63.

It is also her return to the country where she made her international debut in 2009. 

"I had my classification and my first competition as part of the German team here in India and it was one of my fondest memories. I still love that trip and I'm really excited to be here," said the long jumper, who has big plans for her return to New Delhi later in the year to compete at her seventh World Championships:

"I'm looking forward to wining my first back-to-back [world title]. I've won the last three Paralympic Games but I never won back-to-back World Championships, so this is the time to do it."

Rio 2016 bronze medallist Chad Perris and three-time World Championships medallist Rhiannon Clarke are the other Australian athletes in action at the Grand Prix.

Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medallist in the men’s 100m T12, Joeferson Marinho, and Paris 2024 silver medallist in the men's 400m T37, Bartolomeu Chaves, are the two Brazilian athletes competing in New Delhi.

The New Delhi 2025 GP will also provide a great opportunity for para-athletes from the South Asian region including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka to compete in an international elite event.

Nepal competed in its first Grand Prix ever at the season-opening GP in Dubai.

Among other Asian nations who have sent largest delegations to India - Uzbekistan will have 22 athletes followed by the Philippines with 14. The one to watch in the Uzbek team is Kudratillokhon Marufkhujaev, the men’s shot put F37 Paralympic champion from Paris 2024.  

He is also a double-world champion from Kobe 2024 in the men's shot put F37 and discus F37.

 

Home stars

Having started the year on a high note, when they have topped the medals table at the Dubai 2025 Grand Prix, the hosts India would be aiming to continue the good momentum at home as well. 

Paris 2024 Games champion high jumper Praveen Kumar and sprinter Preeti Pal, a two-time bronze medallist at the Paralympics, will lead a home team – the biggest contingent in the event – of 167 para-athletes (116 men and 51 women). 

“Competing in front of a home crowd at such a prestigious event is truly special. The Grand Prix in New Delhi is a huge step for para-athletics in India, and I’m eager to put on a great performance for our supporters," Kumar was quoted as saying to Indo Asian News Service.

While their iconic players including the double Paralympic champion Sumit Antil might be missing, the Grand Prix will be an opportunity for the newcomers to make a mark at home.

How to watch

The New Delhi Grand Prix will be streamed live on the Paralympic Committee of India YouTube channel and World Para Athletics Facebook page.
 

 

The season so far

The World Para Athletics 2025 season kicked off with the Dubai 2025 Grand Prix, a regular stop for GPs every year. It was competed by 370 para-athletes from 42 nations with some of the top Paralympic names opening the season with a bang.

After New Delhi 2025 in India, the Grand Prix will continue with the stops below.

Marrakech (Morocco): 24-26 April

Jalisco (Mexico): 9-12 May

Cali (Colombia): 16-19 May

Nottwil (Switzerland): 23-25 May

Paris (France): 2-4 June

Tunis (Tunisia): 16-18 June

Olomouc Women’s GP (Czechia): 3-5 July
 

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