As Australia’s elite para athletes set their sights on the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in September, a select group of athletes and coaches will first touch down in New Delhi for the World Para Athletics Grand Prix – a competition that doubles as a reconnaissance mission for what lies ahead.
The World Para Athletics Grand Prix, running from March 11-13 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, will offer three of Australia’s top para athletes the chance to compete against their international rivals and alongside Australian Athletics coaches and staff, gain a first-hand experience of the conditions they will encounter when they return to India later this year.
The Australian contingent, spearheaded by Australian Athletics Para Performance Coaching Manager Andrew Dawes with coaches Philo Saunders and Danny Kevan, along with global medallists Chad Perris (ACT, Matt Beckenham), Vanessa Low (ACT, Scott Reardon) and Rhiannon Clarke (WA, Danny Kevan) will use the event as a fact finding mission to better understand the host city, including the challenges posted by climate, air quality, travel logistics and accessibility.
“The World Para Athletics Grand Prix is an important competition in its own right but this year, it serves a dual purpose, said Dawes.
“India has come a long way in the Paralympic space and is becoming very competitive globally, but accessibility, food and environmental factors like heat and pollution will be considerations for every team.”
Dawes emphasised that beyond the immediate competition, the trip will provide valuable insights for what is set to be one of the largest Australian teams at a World Para Athletics Championships, with a large proportion athletes set to wear the green and gold for the first time.
“We’re going to be throwing a lot of athletes in at the deep end for their first go, so it’s really important to have this initial trip with a few of our experienced athletes and coaches. They’ll be able to relay information back to the wider team, which is often better received from athletes rather than just from coaches and staff,” he said.
“But from a staffing point of view before we do all of that, we’ve really got to nut down the logistics of where we’d like to stay and how we’re going to manage. We could have a team of up to 70, including staff.
“If we can ensure our team feels comfortable, knowing they have a good and safe place to sleep, eat and shower, then we can manage the rest.”
Experienced campaigner and a leader within the Australian para-athletics cohort is Chad Perris, who highlighted the point of familiarity.
“India is a very different kind of location compared to Paris or Kobe which we’ve travelled to over the last few years, and knowing your surroundings is incredibly important,” Perris said.
“For me, as a vision impaired person, it’s like if I go into a new supermarket, I’m absolutely lost because I don’t know where anything is. It can take four or five times as long to shop as it would in my normal supermarket and use much more energy. Using that as an example, it shows that if you can have a bit of an idea of where everything is and what we’re doing from this five nights in Delhi, it’s going to be really beneficial.
Beyond personal preparation, Perris also sees a responsibility in going to help the broader team.
“There are definitely athletes with concerns about having a World Championships in India, and I have had those concerns myself. This trip will give us the chance to navigate some of the challenges for the team ahead of time, and show that it’s going to be okay.
“There’s also a lot of other people that have a lot more complex accessibility needs too, so we’ll be taking notes with the coaches and staff, to be really well equipped.”
The coaching and support staff travelling to India are equally invested in making the most of the campaign, focusing on areas such as athlete welfare, hydration strategies and contingency planning.
“The more we learn now, the better positioned we’ll be later this year. We need to ensure we’re not going in cold come September, and this trip will give us the information we need to make the best decisions for the team.”
The World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi represents the next step in Australia’s build up to the marquee event of the year, setting the stage for strong results in September.
“It’s going to be a proper lived experience on the ground for us senior athletes that have a lot of events and championships under our belt. It’s going to be a good challenge and I’m certainly looking forward to it,” Perris said.
By Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics
Posted: 6/3/2025
