'Aim Is To End Disparity': Para-Athlete Sachin Chamaria Unveils Asian Games 2026 Vision | Interview

Boccia rarely gets its due outside the Paralympic movement, yet the precision sport for athletes with severe physical disabilities has been quietly building a following in India — much of it thanks to one man. Sachin Chamaria, the country's highest-ranked BC3 athlete at World No. 20, has spent the last few years turning a sport once unheard of in Indian households into a genuine medal prospect on the world stage.

Chamaria's path to boccia was never predictable. Born in Lakhimpur, Assam, and raised in Delhi, he was a promising national-level taekwondo athlete before a road accident in Kolkata in 2008, at just 17, left him with a cervical spinal cord injury and quadriplegia.

What followed was years of rebuilding — first his independence, then his ambitions. He graduated from Shri Ram College of Commerce and went on to found Growealth Capital LLP, an investment and wealth management firm, in 2018, long before boccia entered his life.

That changed in 2020, when Chamaria discovered the sport and made his competitive debut at the 2021 National Boccia Championship in Visakhapatnam — winning gold in his very first tournament.

He has since become a six-time national champion, and his rise on the international circuit has been just as rapid: silver and bronze at the World Boccia Challenger Cairo 2024 gave India its first-ever international medals in the BC3 category, and he followed it with India's first BC3 gold at the World Boccia Challenger Bahrain 2024.

Earlier this year, he returned to Cairo to win silver in pairs alongside Sarita Dwivedi and bronze in the individual event, before becoming the first Indian BC3 athlete to qualify on merit for the World Boccia Championships in Seoul.

Beyond his own results, Chamaria has worked to build the infrastructure Indian boccia has long lacked, importing the country's first internationally certified BC3 competition ramp so that athletes back home can train on world-class equipment. As Brand Ambassador of the Paralympic Association of Assam, he continues to push federations, schools and institutions to widen access to the sport.

That groundwork now points toward Aichi-Nagoya, where boccia features among 18 sports on the program for the 2026 Asian Para Games this October. For a sport still finding its footing in India, a strong showing there would be a significant marker of progress — and for Chamaria, it's the next chapter in a journey that has already reframed what disability and sporting excellence can look like together.

As he prepares for the challenge ahead, he speaks with Outlook India in an exclusive interview, talking on his journey, the reason to pick Boccia as his sport and India's para-sport ecosystem which is finally catching up to its athletes' ambition.

Also Read: India Medal Tally at Asian Games 2026: Gold, Silver, Bronze & Full List

Sachin Chamaria - Exclusive Interview

Outlook India Correspondent:

What did you see in the sport when you were making the transition to Paralympic sport? What made you choose Boccia?

Sachin Chamaria:

The beauty of Boccia is that, compared to other sports where you require a certain level of physical strength, Boccia is a sport where, even if you are able to move only your head, neck, or any part of your body, you can play the game.

You may not be physically strong, but how sound you are mentally is more important.

Outlook India Correspondent:

So, was that your reason for picking it?

Sachin Chamaria:

Yes. I have always been fascinated by things where you have to apply your mind and where strategy is involved.

Earlier, I used to play chess a lot. I loved playing chess. I also love playing Scrabble and things like that.

So, anything where you have to apply your brain has always fascinated me.

On the growth of Parasports in India and Boccia's role

Outlook India Correspondent:

Parasports has been seeing a boom in India over the last few years. The last Paralympics was amazing. Considering that, how do you see Boccia in the context of the development of Parasports in India?

Sachin Chamaria:

In the Paralympics, Boccia has been played since 1984. Its federation in India was formed around 2017–18.

It was a long-awaited goal because the Paralympics have been around for a very long time. So, in terms of infrastructure, coaches and technical expertise, we still have a very long way to go.

Our first target is that India has never qualified in this particular sport at the Paralympics. So, our first aim is for India to qualify in Boccia at the Paralympics.

If you look at Boccia, there are more than 36 medals to be won. So, if one country doesn't participate in this sport, you are already 36 medals behind other countries in the medal tally.

When we compare ourselves with other countries—the US, China, Japan, Russia, Australia, Korea and others who win so many medals—people don't look at how much you have participated in the sport. First, you need participation, and then you look at the participation-to-win ratio.

So, to win any medal, it is important for an athlete to first qualify in the sport.

That is our current objective. The Paralympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028, and we are trying our best to make India the first country to qualify in Boccia at the Paralympics.

Outlook India Correspondent:

In the Paralympics, many athletes come from other sports and then, after an injury or for other reasons, transition to another sport.

What do you think are their chances of qualifying in Boccia? And considering the difficulties you faced in the beginning after taking up Boccia, what would your suggestions be for them? What can be done to make their transition better?

Sachin Chamaria:

It is not only for Boccia; it applies to all sports. There is a saying, "Practice makes a man perfect."

If you are an athlete and you want to improve, there is no shortcut to it. There is no shortcut in the world.

You can bring the best coaches, provide the best infrastructure and bring the best equipment, but you have to be disciplined in all aspects.

If you are not hardworking, then despite having all the facilities and all the luxury, you may not succeed in any field.

Your dedication, your hard work and your ambition—the level at which you want to see yourself as an athlete—that matters the most.

Outlook India Correspondent:

You are working on infrastructure and also working with the Paralympic Association. What is your perspective on that? What is your commitment, and what do you want to achieve? What is your target?

Sachin Chamaria:

There is no such thing as a single target. Our target remains the same: just as other athletes get recognition, Paralympic athletes should also get the recognition they deserve.

Unfortunately, Paralympic athletes don't get as much recognition in India.

If you look at the last Olympics and Paralympics, Indian Paralympic athletes won a significant number of medals. But still, they don't get the respect they deserve.

They also work hard. They also bring the same pride and zeal for their country that an able-bodied athlete brings.

So, our aim is to end that disparity.

Our needs are different. If you are wheelchair-bound, you need everything to be accessible. You need ramps, you need lifts. If there are stairs, you can't use them. Transportation should also be accessible accordingly.

In our lives, the things that an able-bodied athlete may take for granted are things that we have to fight for every day.

So, our goal is to make sure that our struggles and our challenges are reduced and that we get the same opportunities as other athletes.

I am not trying to belittle anyone, but this is the truth of life. It's a hard fact that we fight harder and work harder in many aspects compared to an able-bodied athlete.

Outlook India Correspondent:

The Asian Games are coming up, and you are fighting for a place. How has your preparation been—mentally and physically? And what is your vision for the Asian Games? What is your target?

Sachin Chamaria:

In my particular sport, Boccia, unfortunately, many of the top players are from Asian countries.

Countries like Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have players who play this game exceptionally well.

After that, there are some good players from European countries, such as Greece, as well as from Australia.

As I told you, these players have been playing for many years. Some of them have been playing for 15–20 years, so they have 15–20 years of experience.

They know how to handle every situation at a big event, how calm you have to be, how to keep your nerves under control, what to focus on and what the training regime should be.

So, they have that expertise. We are still learning.

The goal is definite. If you ask any athlete, his goal is to see himself on the podium. That is the eventual goal.

We are trying. Whether it happens this time or next year, I cannot tell you. But I am sure that one day it will happen in Boccia.

On the Asian Games and the road to the Paralympics

Outlook India Correspondent:

So, what do you think—if you qualify for the Asian Games and win a medal, will that pave the way for the Paralympics? Because, as you said, some of the biggest players are in Asia.

Sachin Chamaria:

Yes, in Asia.

Our sport is a bit different. In our sport, to get into the Paralympics, there are regional qualifiers.

In the regional qualifiers, you have to perform well. If you finish in a podium position in the regional qualifiers, your pathway to the Paralympics opens up.

The 5th Asian Para Games will take place in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from October 18 to 24, 2026. The boccia competition events get underway with preliminary matches starting on October 18, 2026.