Pakistan ‘boycotts’ World Para-Athletics Championships in India; WPA says 'can't do much, unfortunate'

New Delhi: The World Para Athletics Championships, set to commence at the JLN Stadium here on Saturday, will not feature participants from Pakistan. The National Paralympic Committee of Pakistan (NPCP) on Thursday said it has “boycotted” the event, citing advice from its govt amid heightened political tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Indian air strikes under Operation Sindoor.

Speaking exclusively to TOI from Islamabad, Imran Jamil Shami, NPCP secretary general, said Pakistan had initially entered its leading Paralympian, Haider Ali, in the men’s F37 throwing category for the event. However, the committee later withdrew from the Sept 27–Oct 5 meet due to “security concerns” and “public anger” on both sides.

“Yes, the NPCP has boycotted the India event. We decided not to send our contingent for the World para athletics because Pakistan feared for the safety of its athletes, coaching staff and team managers. Our govt advised us against sending the team because of the political standoff between the two nations. You very well know the situation. One can see what’s happening between the two cricket teams at the Asia Cup in Dubai. Haider and coaches weren’t comfortable travelling to India,” Shami stated.

The 39-year-old Haider had automatically qualified for the championships based on his international ranking in the F37 category, primarily designated for para athletes competing in events such as discus and shot put. Haider secured Pakistan’s first-ever medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, winning gold in the shot put, and bronze at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the discus throw.

Shami said Haider’s name was entered by the final entry deadline of Aug 3, 2025, but the NPCP subsequently decided not to send him. “We didn’t apply for his visa. We informed him that he’s not going,” he said. When asked if the paralympic committee wrote to the sport’s global governing body, World Para Athletics (WPA), Shami responded negatively. “No, we didn’t write to the world body. It was our decision. We felt the environment wasn’t conducive to send the team.”

A WPA spokesperson told TOI that it was unfortunate Pakistan did not attend the event. “The WPA can’t do much about the situation. We are helpless if a country decides not to send its athletes. We always keep ourselves above the political situation. It’s their choice. Look at the Russian, Belarusian or Ukrainian athletes competing in the event. They are also here despite the war and political tensions between their countries. The Russians and Belarusians are competing as neutral athletes under the aegis of WPA. There won’t be any national anthem, flag hoisting or display of their national flags if their athletes win medals,” the spokesperson explained.

A Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) official stated that India had no issues hosting Pakistani para athletes, when over 2,200 participants from around 100 countries are competing in the event. “The Indian govt’s sports policy is very clear. India will not engage in any bilateral sports with Pakistan but will continue to compete against them in multilateral sports events internationally. PCI adheres to the Olympic charter and the statutes of the international federation. India is, by far, one of the safest countries to visit for a sporting event,” the official added.



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