Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday handed over an order to paralympic athlete Mariappan Thangavelu appointing him as Deputy Manager (Marketing) in Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited.
The athlete, a graduate in business administration, is at present a senior coach in the Sports Authority of India in Bengaluru, an official release said. Considering the laurels he has won in international sports events, the Chief Minister handed over the appointment order to honour him, it said.
A native of Periyavadakkampatti village in Salem district, the athlete represented India in the 2016 Summer Paralympics games held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and secured a gold medal in men’s high jump T42 category. He also won a silver medal in Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. He bagged medals in various international sports events too.
Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Siva V. Meyyanathan, Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi, Industries Secretary N. Muruganandam, School Education Secretary Kakarla Usha and office-bearers of the Tamil Nadu Paralympic Sports Association were present at the event.
