NEW DELHI: Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur felicitated India's Para Athletes who won a historic 19 medals, including 5 gold and 8 silver in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik also graced the event
During his address Anurag Thakur congratulated all the para athletes for their fantastic performance and said, "I recall in the 2016 Paralympics, the size of the Indian contingent was 19, while this year the country has won as many as 19 medals! You have shown us that the human spirit is the most powerful of all ! Our medal tally has increased by about five times. For the first time we have won medals in Table Tennis, won multiple medals in Archery, competed for the first time in canoeing and powerlifting. We equalled two world records and we broke even more. India's para athletes delivered a perfect podium finish!"
Thakur added, "the government approach in extending support to athletes for international competitions has undergone a transformational change. The government will continue to support India's Paralympians with facilities and funding so that they may continue to excel internationally. We'd like to encourage more regional and national tournaments for our Paralympians so they can regularly compete and hone their skills."
Union Law & Justice Minister Rijiju congratulated all the medal winners and said that you have made India Proud. ''All para athletes who represented India in Tokyo all are our heroes. You all are inspiration for everyone. You have shown that everything is possible if you dare to dream", he added.
President of Paralympic Committee of India Deepa Malik lauded the Prime Ministers efforts and initiatives of the Government to make divyang Sportspersons inclusive in society. The support given to para athletes under TOPS has created history and today everybody is talking about the success of para athletes, she added.
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