Vijay presents prizes to Chief Minister’s Trophy winners

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay at the function held at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday presented trophies to Chennai, Chengalpattu, and Coimbatore districts, which secured the first, second, and third places respectively in the State-level Chief Minister’s Trophy 2026.

At a function held at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, Mr. Vijay also presented cash incentives totalling ₹6.85 crore to nine sportspersons, who won medals at the fifth Asian Para Games held in Japan.

According to an official release, Chennai district topped the Chief Minister’s Trophy with 142 gold, 97 silver, and 80 bronze medals. Chengalpattu district finished second with 64 gold, 43 silver, and 36 bronze medals, and Coimbatore third with 27 gold, 37 silver, and 54 bronze medals.

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday presenting cash incentives to sportspersons who won medals at the fifth Asian Para Games held in Japan.

A total of ₹21.34 crore in prize money was distributed among 1,06,704 sportspersons who secured the first three places at the district- and zonal-level competitions.

Mr. Vijay also inaugurated the newly constructed Tamil Nadu Olympic Water Sports Academy at Pirappanvalasai in Ramanathapuram district at a cost of ₹42.90 crore, and a multi-purpose sports complex built at a cost of ₹20 crore on the premises of the Government College of Engineering in Salem.

He also launched the Sportspersons Development Assistance Scheme, which provides financial assistance to cover the personal expenses of sportspersons undergoing training at hostels and sports centres run by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT). A total of 2,600 sportspersons will benefit from the scheme, which involves an annual outlay of ₹1.77 crore.

Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna, Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar, and officials from the SDAT were among those present at the function.