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CM Vijay to present Rs 17 cr reward to honour Tamil Nadu's para athletes on Thursday

Digital Desk | Chennai, Oct 28 (IANS) Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will present prizes worth Rs 17 crore to winners of the Chief Ministers Trophy competitions on Thursday at a ceremony that will also honour Tamil Nadus medal-winning athletes from the Para Asian Games in Japan. The event, scheduled from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, will bring together sporting achievers from the state-level competitions and the international arena. Sports Development Minister Aadhav Arjuna announced that the Chief Minister would meet and congratulate the para-athletes during the felicitation programme at the Nehru Indoor Stadium complex. Their recognition will form part of the ceremony alongside the distribution of prizes to the trophy winners. Tamil Nadus contingent returned from Japan with 15 medals, comprising three gold, five silver and seven bronze. Of the 13 athletes who represented the state at the Games, nine finished among the medallists, giving the contingent a strong showing at the competition. The medal tally reflects success across all three podium positions. Bronze medals accounted for the largest share of Tamil Nadus haul, followed by silver and gold. With nine athletes contributing to the total, more than two-thirds of the state's participants secured medals. Thursdays programme will recognise these performances while also celebrating the achievements of athletes competing closer to home. The ceremony places the states para-sport medallists alongside winners emerging from the Chief Ministers Trophy competitions. The trophy competitions began on October 15 and are being conducted across Tamil Nadu in 45 sports. Around 32,000 athletes are participating, highlighting the scale of the sporting programme and its reach across a wide range of disciplines. The Rs 17 crore in prizes will be distributed to winners of these competitions. The presentation will mark an occasion for the state to acknowledge their performances and encourage sporting talent through recognition of competitive achievement. By including both sets of achievers in the programme, the government is bringing attention to participation in State competitions as well as medal-winning performances overseas. The ceremony forms part of Tamil Nadus efforts to promote sporting talent and recognise excellence across disciplines. For the para-athletes who competed in Japan, the event will provide an opportunity to meet the chief minister and receive recognition for their contribution to the states 15-medal tally at the Games.