India’s Transplant Athletes Make History with 63 Medals at World Transplant Games 2025

ORGAN India, a project of the NGO Parashar Foundation, honored the Indian athletes who presented the nation’s best-ever performance at the World Transplant Games 2025 in Dresden, Germany. The event was attended by Dr. Mallika Nadda, President of Special Olympics Bharat, who congratulated the contingent on their strength and accomplishments.

As the force behind India’s participation, ORGAN India organized, trained, and coordinated the country’s largest-ever contingent at the Games.

Record India Medal Haul

India dispatched 57 competitors 49 organ recipients and 8 living donors who were among 1,600 athletes from 51 nations vying in 17 sports. Sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, the Games honor athletic achievement by transplant recipients and donors.

India won 63 medals (16 gold, 22 silver, and 23 bronze), nearly doubling its previous haul of 35 at Perth 2023, and placed 13th overall. Debutant teams in basketball, volleyball, football, and archery made their mark, with archery claiming two medals.

Athletes Inspire With Courage and Resilience

The medal winners represented various states such as Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala, Haryana, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Chandigarh.

Just as well, the wins are not limited to sports, but are a social declaration that life after organ transplant can be filled with victory and strength. Winners of athletes’ tales are fostering inspiring discussions on organ donation across India.

Eminent Performances

Some of the exceptional athletes:

• Jaskaran Singh, a kidney donor to his wife, collected four gold and one silver medal and was declared Outstanding Donor Athlete of the Games.

• Ramdev Singh of Rajasthan, a kidney transplant recipient, collected four medals that included one gold in Track & Field.

• The Anand family of Bangalore made history by winning 13 medals collectively as 15-year-old Varun collected four of them.

• Former Army shot putter Satyawan Panghal, post a 2021 transplant, won two golds and a silver.

• 13-year-old swimmer Ishaan Anekar, who underwent a transplant in 2021, won two golds and one silver, becoming a global inspiration.

Strong Support System Behind Success

The success was supported by Dinesh Vyas Public Charitable Trust (main sponsor for the second consecutive time), along with Subros, Geekay Winding, To the New, Organ Transplant Trust, Macleod Pharma, Dr. O.P. Bhalla Foundation, and Puma, which sponsored athlete kits.

Leaders Praise India’s Upward March

• Anika Parashar, Chairperson, Parashar Foundation: “The Games show life after transplant has no bounds.”

• Sunayana Singh, CEO, ORGAN India: “From archery debuts to victories by young swimmers, every performance was outstanding.”

• Kunti Jhaveri, Chairperson, Dinesh Vyas Trust: “These sportspersons reflect courage, resilience, and hope.”

• Rajiv Kapoor, MD & CEO, Manav Rachna Educational Institutions: “Their triumph shows us that anything is possible with the right training.”

India’s Emergence on the Global Stage

With this historic performance, India has become a force to be reckoned with at the World Transplant Games. Aside from the medals, the athletes took India’s spirit of generosity, determination, and victory to Germany and inspired the world and raised the movement for organ donation in India.

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