Meet the Champions: Double Paralympic Medallist inspires students to take up sports

A healthy body is vital to a healthy mind. Keeping it in focus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 'Meet the Champions' initiative under which sports personalities meet schools students and encourage them to take up different sports to keep themselves fit and healthy.

Under the initiative, double Paralympic Gold and Silver medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu visited Salem’s Holy Angles Girls' Matric. Hr. Sec. School in Tamil Nadu and spoke to the students about the importance of sports and a balanced diet in one’s life.

According to the Ministry of Sports, Mariyappan, who interacted with the students of more than 75 schools during his visit, spoke about the importance of sports and a healthy lifestyle in a student’s life and stressed on the importance of having a well-balanced diet.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this unique initiative, he said ‘I am thankful to be part of Meet the Champion initiative in Salem and would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modiji for starting such an initiative that involves the sporting fraternity.’

“PM Modi during his interaction with the Paralympians and Olympians post the Tokyo Olympics/Paralympics had requested them to visit 75 schools and encourage the future generation to take up sports,” the Ministry said.

It added, “'Meet the Champions' is part of the government’s ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ that was kicked off by Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in December 2021 and was taken ahead by Olympic Bronze medallist Bajrang Punia in Haryana, Olympic sailors Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy in Rameshwaram, Paralympic Bronze medallist Sharad Kumar in Kerela and Olympic Swimmer Srihari Natraj in Karnataka.”