Need to recognize, encourage sports talent of differently-abled friends at local level: Venkaiah Naidu

Gurugram (Haryana) [India], September 19 : Lauding the achievement of sportspersons in Tokyo Paralympics, Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said there is a need to recognize and encourage the sports talent of our differently-abled friends at the local level.
Venkaiah Naidu and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar felicitated participants and medal winners of Tokyo Paralympics 2020 in Gurugram earlier today.
Speaking at the occasion, Naidu said, "There is a need to recognize and encourage the sports talent of our differently-abled friends at the local level... All facilities should be provided to them. The achievements of our para-players have shown a new ray of hope to the nation in this era of COVID pandemic."
"Due to COVID, the stadium remained closed for a long time and the training of the players was interrupted. Despite this, our para-players did a great job in Tokyo. I feel immensely happy that our youngsters made history. They made us proud. The nation salutes them for their performance. Players made new records, despite high pressure as the games were held in difficult situations," he added.
Haryana Chief Minister also lauded the achievements of the paralympians.
"They (Paralympians) inspire people to overcome physical disabilities and succeed in securing a medal," said Khattar.
The Indian contingent finished their campaign at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020 at an all-time high by securing a total of 19 medals which includes 5 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze medals. India sent its biggest ever contingent of 54 para-athletes across as many as 9 sporting disciplines to the Games.