India to begin its campaign at Tokyo Paralympic Games today
India will open its campaign at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with para table tennis players Sonal Patel and Bhavina Patel getting into action in the preliminary rounds of their respective categories today. Both of them will start against Chinese opponents in their first matches in group-stage play.
Playing in the women’s singles Class 3 – Group D, Sonal Patel will take on China’s Li Qian. South Korea’s Lee Mi Gyu is the other player in Group D. Group winner will progress to the next stage. Bhavina Patel will get into action in the women’s singles Class 4 Group A against another Chinese Zhou Ying, the world No. 2 in this class, in the opener. Great Britain’s Megan Shackleton is the third player in Group A.
This is also Bhavina’s first Paralympic Games. The two table tennis players are also going to be India’s only representation at the Tokyo Paralympics tomorrow. India have sent its biggest-ever Paralympic contingent – 54 to Tokyo. The para-athletes compete in as many as 9 sports over a period of 12 days from August 25 to September 5.
