Thousands of miles from home, a young para shuttler from Arunachal Pradesh just put his state — and India — on the global map in the most emphatic way possible.
Biri Takar, one of Arunachal Pradesh’s most promising para badminton players, returned from the Brazil Para Badminton International 2026 with not one but two medals — a gold in men’s doubles and a hard-earned bronze in men’s singles. For a state that often finds itself overlooked in mainstream sports conversations, this is the kind of result that demands attention.
A Performance That Spoke for Itself
Takar delivered an impressive performance at the Brazil Para Badminton International 2026, clinching gold in the men’s doubles event and a bronze medal in the men’s singles category. Winning in doubles requires perfect coordination and trust with a partner. Winning a singles medal alongside it — that’s about individual grit. Biri showed he has both. The way he competed at an international tournament held all the way in Brazil, against players from across the world, reflects a hunger that doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from years of quiet, determined work.
CM ACES: The Programme Behind the Player
This isn’t just a story about one athlete. It’s a story about what the right support can do. The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister highlighted that Takar is a beneficiary of the Chief Minister’s Award to Champion Excellence in Sports (CM ACES) programme, and said his international success reflects the programme’s growing impact on nurturing sporting talent in the state. That’s a significant statement. Sports funding in smaller states often gets lost in bureaucratic delays or funnelled into more ‘mainstream’ disciplines. CM ACES appears to be doing something different — identifying real talent and actually backing it.
What This Means for Para Sports in the Northeast
India’s para sports ecosystem has been growing steadily, but representation from the Northeast has remained patchy. Takar’s twin-medal achievement adds another milestone to India’s para badminton success and underscores the state’s rising presence in international sports. That rising presence matters — not just for the medals count, but for every young athlete in Arunachal who watches and thinks, maybe this is possible for me too. That ripple effect is real, and it’s powerful.
A State That Deserves Its Spotlight
The Chief Minister said the CM ACES initiative is identifying promising athletes, providing them with the necessary support and creating champions who are bringing laurels to Arunachal Pradesh and the country on the international stage. That’s exactly what good sports governance looks like. You find the talent, you back it, and you let the results speak. Biri Takar has done his part. Now it’s on all of us to make sure his name is remembered — not just in a congratulatory post, but in the way Arunachal commits to building the next generation of champions.
Biri Takar didn’t just win medals in Brazil. He sent a message home: the hills of Arunachal can produce world-class athletes, and they will.
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