Women Olympic participants to get Rs 10 lakh each from Gujarat govt

Six women athletes from Gujarat, who are part of the Indian contingents for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and also the Paralympic Games, will get a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each from the state government, it was announced on Wednesday.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani took the decision to give Rs 10 lakh each to these six sportswomen to boost their morale and motivate them ahead of the twin events, said a government release. The quadrennial international multi-sport event will be held in Tokyo from July 23 to August 8, while the Paralympic Games have been organised in the Japanese capital from August 24 to September 5.

This is for the first time in 60 years that players from Gujarat have qualified for the Olympics, said the release.

The female athletes selected from Gujarat to represent India at the Tokyo Olympics are: Maana Patel (swimming), Ankita Raina (tennis) and Elavenil Valarivan (shooting).

Three other women players who have qualified for the Paralympics are Parul Parmar (badminton), Bhavina Patel and Sonal Patel (table tennis), it said. Rupani congratulated the players for their selection and wished them luck.