India's Vinod Kumar was on Sunday classified in the F52 category which has raised hopes of a medal in discus throw at the Tokyo Paralympics, beginning on Tuesday.
Javelin thrower Tekchand was, however, reclassified in the F55 category, a change from his earlier F54 category.
Para Athletics chairperson Satyanarayna was happy and said that Kumar's classification was on expected lines.
“Vinod Kumar's re-classification in his own category is a great news. India's chances of winning a medal in this category are bright," he said in a release.
"Tekchand, on the other hand, has been classified in one category above and hence his competition will be that much tougher, but we are sure that he will give his best.”
Para-athletes are given a classification depending on the type and extent of their disability. The classification system allows athletes to compete against others with a similar level of ability.
In para athletics, participants are classified with prefix 'T' (for track, marathon race or jumping event) or 'F' (for field event) with a number.
Classes are divided in terms of type (indicated by the first digit) and level of impairment. In general, the lower the second digit, the higher the level of impairment.
T/F51, T/F52, T/F53, T/F54, T/F55, T/F56 and T/F57 are for athletes with impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference, with athletes competing in seated position, for example with cervical cord injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, functional disorder.
5 athletes, 6 officials from Indian contingent to take part in Paralympics opening
Only six officials from the Indian contingent are allowed to take part in the opening ceremony of Tokyo Paralympics on Tuesday, chef de mission Gursharan Singh said on Sunday.
India will have 11 members participating in the opening ceremony, the remaining five being athletes.
There is no cap on the number of athletes for the opening ceremony but only seven Indian participants have reached Tokyo so far.
Of those seven, two table tennis players -- Sonal Patel and Bhavina Patel -- have competition on Wednesday and will not take part in the ceremony, during which Japanese Emperor Naruhito will declare the Games open.
"Only six officials are allowed for the opening ceremony while there is no cap on the number of athletes," chef de mission Singh, who is also the secretary general of Paralympic Committee of India, told PTI.
"The two table tennis players have competition the next day, that is Wednesday, so they are not taking part in the opening ceremony."
The same rule of having a cap of six officials during the opening ceremony was followed during the Tokyo Olympics which ended on August 8.
The five athletes expected to take part in the opening ceremony are flag bearer Mariyappan Thangavelu, discus thrower Vinod Kumar, javelin thrower Tek Chand and powerlifters Jaideep and Sakina Khatun.
Out of the six officials taking part in the opening ceremony, four have been decided, which include the chef de mission, deputy chef de mission Arhan Bagati, COVID-19 chief liaison officer V K Dabas and Mariyappan's coach and para athletics chairperson Satyanarayana.
A third batch of Indian athletes is leaving on Monday but those part of it will have to serve a quarantine period before being allowed to train.
India are being represented by 54 athletes -- the biggest ever -- and the country is expecting its best medal haul this time.
In view of the surging COVID-19 cases in Tokyo, fans have been banned from the Paralympics, just like the preceding Olympic Games.
