India's first Paralympian and gold medalist Mariappan Thangavelu has said that it was due to the encouragement given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he was able to participate in Olympic events.

Speaking to the media after "Meet the Champions" program at Salem in Tamil Nadu, today, Mariappan said that due to the efforts of the Prime Minister, rural students will be able to participate in international games in large numbers and secure more than a hundred medals in Olympics.

He also thanked the Tamil Nadu State Government, and said that the Tamilnadu Sports Authority has done a lot in identifying the talents in the field of sports and wanted the students to make use of the opportunity.

Mariappan plans to start a sports academy for rural students and is presently undergoing training for the next  World Championship Asian Games.