ITANAGAR, AUG 18:
Arunachal Pradesh para-athlete Tingong Wangpan has been tentatively selected for the national coaching camp being organised in preparation for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games in Japan, adding another milestone to the 21-year-old sprinter’s rapidly rising career.
The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), in a communication dated August 17, included Wangpan among 72 athletes tentatively selected for the camp, which will be conducted at Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres in Bengaluru, Delhi and Sonipat. The allocation of athletes to the respective centres will be finalised after approval of the camp by SAI.
Wangpan has been listed for the men’s 400 metres T37 event.
The development comes weeks after the athlete from Longding district announced himself on the international stage by winning gold in the men’s 200m T37 at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Tlaxcala, Mexico, in July.
The Mexico competition, held from July 17 to 24, was Wangpan’s first international event. He won the 200m gold after securing international classification in the T37 category.
Wangpan is also the first para-athlete from Arunachal Pradesh to be admitted to the SAI National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He joined the centre in October 2025 and has since been undergoing specialised training there.
He is also among athletes supported under Arunachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister’s Athlete Coaching and Empowerment Scheme (CM ACES). CM ACES is an elite sports initiative launched by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on August 29, 2025. Run in partnership with the GoSports Foundation as a knowledge partner, it supports top state athletes with world-class training, coaching, and scientific backing.
Earlier this year, Wangpan and para-javelin thrower Kipa Mero were undergoing advanced training under the scheme.
His 2026 season has seen a string of impressive performances.
At the 24th National Para Athletics Championships at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar in March, Wangpan won gold in the men’s 100m and bronze in the 400m in the T35 category. Reports at the time said his gold-medal performance in the 100m also broke the national record.
He followed it up with a silver medal in the men’s T37 sprint category at the 8th Indian Open International Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru in May.
His breakthrough international triumph came in Mexico in July when he clinched the 200m T37 gold at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix. Chief Minister Pema Khandu had congratulated the youngster following the victory, saying Arunachal Pradesh celebrated his triumph and was proud of his achievement.
Wangpan’s progression has been particularly swift since his selection for the SAI NCoE in October last year, a development the Paralympic Association of Arunachal had described as a historic milestone for the state’s para-sports movement.
The latest inclusion in the national coaching camp puts the Longding sprinter in contention for India’s campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games and marks another significant step in his emergence as one of Arunachal Pradesh’s leading para-athletes. (Source: NewsFY)
