CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday distributed cash incentives totalling Rs 6.85 crore to athletes from the state who won medals at the fifth Asian Para Games. He also felicitated winners of the Chief Minister’s Trophy competitions.
Vijay also inaugurated two sports facilities: the Tamil Nadu Olympic Water Sports Academy, built at Rs 42.9 crore at Pirappanvalasai in Ramanathapuram, and a multipurpose sports complex constructed at Rs 20 crore in Salem.
The para-athletes who received incentives were Thulasimathi Murugesan (Rs 1.75 crore), Naveen Sivakumar (Rs 1.05 crore), Nithyasree Sumathy Sivan (Rs 80 lakh), Solai Raj Dharmaraj (Rs 75 lakh), Manisha Ramadass and Jehan Dorab Madan (`60 lakh each), Sivarajan Solaimalai and Kasturi Raja Mani (Rs 50 lakh each) and Baby Sahana Ravi (Rs 30 lakh).
In the Chief Minister’s Trophy competitions, Chennai led the medal tally with 319, including 142 gold and 97 silver medals. Chengalpattu finished second (143), followed by Coimbatore (118). The competitions saw participation from 10.3 lakh sportspersons. The participants received prize money totalling Rs 38 crore, of which about Rs 21 crore was awarded to district- and zonal-level winners, and Rs 17 crore to state-level winners.
The CM also launched the Sports Development Assistance Scheme, which will provide monthly assistance of Rs 500 to athletes training at SDAT’s Centres of Excellence and Rs 1,000 to those staying in Sports Hostels of Excellence. Around 2,600 athletes are expected to benefit from the scheme, which has an annual allocation of Rs 1.77 crore.
At the event, Minister for Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna said TN lacked world-class sporting infrastructure to compete at the international level and added that the government would work towards creating an ecosystem capable of producing Olympic champions.