Rio Paralympics gold winner Mariyappan gets Rs 2 cr incentive from Tamil Nadu government

Chennai: Rio Paralympics gold medallist T Mariyappan was today honoured by Tamil Nadu government with Chief Minister O Panneerselvam presenting him the Rs two crore reward, announced by his predecessor late Jayalalithaa.

Panneerselvam presented a cheque for Rs two crore to the athlete, who hails from Salem district in the state, an official release said.

Jayalalithaa had announced the reward of Rs two crore for Mariyappan for clinching the gold in the high jump event at the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in September last.

21-year-old Mariyappan, who was merely a five-year-old when his right leg was crushed by a speeding bus while on his way to school, had cleared 1.89 m to become only the third Indian ever to clinch a Paralympic gold.

Panneerselvam also presented a cheque for Rs two crore to Tamil Nadu Tennis Association President M A Alagappan as the state government's contribution for the popular tennis tournament ATP Chennai Open, being held here from Jan 2-8.

The state government is the 'Lead Platinum Sponsor' for the tournament, being held here since 1997, an official release here said.

The association had in 2012 made a plea to then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for financial assistance to the tournament and since then the state government had been sanctioning Rs two crore annually.