Tamil Nadu sent 11 athletes to the Paris 2024 Olympics, the third-highest number from any state, and six to the Paralympics, four of whom came home with medals. Those figures come from a Tamil Nadu government press release of September 2024. The Paralympic medallists were later given Rs 5 crore in cash awards by the state.
With the Paris cycle now two years behind us and the 2028 Los Angeles Games in view, this is a record of who represented the state, how they fared and what the government paid out. The rules of the state’s medal incentive scheme in general are a separate subject and are not repeated here.
Tamil Nadu’s Olympians in Paris
India’s contingent numbered 117 athletes, including seven reserves, backed by 140 support staff and officials, Scroll.in reported when the Indian Olympic Association confirmed the squad. Athletics was the largest group, with 29 athletes, which is where most of Tamil Nadu’s names were. Counts by state vary because some athletes have roots in one state and compete for another, and because reserves are sometimes included. A state-wise breakdown by Outlook India listed 13 names against Tamil Nadu, behind only Haryana (24) and Punjab (19). The government’s count of 11 appears to leave out some of these, such as the table tennis reserve.
| Sport | Athlete | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics | Jeswin Aldrin | Men’s long jump |
| Athletics | Praveen Chithravel | Men’s triple jump |
| Athletics | Rajesh Ramesh, Santhosh Tamilarasan | Men’s 4x400m relay |
| Athletics | Subha Venkatesan, Vithya Ramraj | Women’s 4x400m relay |
| Sailing | Nethra Kumanan | Women’s dinghy |
| Sailing | Vishnu Saravanan | Men’s dinghy |
| Shooting | Elavenil Valarivan | Women’s 10m air rifle, mixed team |
| Shooting | Prithviraj Tondaiman | Men’s trap |
| Table tennis | Sharath Kamal | Men’s singles and team |
| Table tennis | Sathiyan Gnanasekaran | Reserve |
| Tennis | N. Sriram Balaji | Men’s doubles |
Sharath Kamal carried the Indian flag at the opening ceremony alongside P. V. Sindhu, as All India Radio announced in July 2024.
How the Olympians fared
India finished the Games with six medals: Neeraj Chopra’s javelin silver and bronzes for Manu Bhaker (twice, once with Sarabjot Singh), Swapnil Kusale, the men’s hockey team and wrestler Aman Sehrawat, according to a PTI review of the campaign. None of the athletes on Tamil Nadu’s list reached the podium. For the relay runners, sailors and jumpers, qualifying for Paris was itself the achievement, and the next target is the Los Angeles 2028 cycle.
Four Paralympic medals from six athletes
The Paralympics were a different story. India won 29 medals in Paris, 7 gold, 9 silver and 13 bronze, which was ten more than at Tokyo, according to The Bridge’s medal list. Tamil Nadu supplied four of them, three from para-badminton.
- Thulasimathi Murugesan: silver, women’s singles SU5 (para-badminton)
- Manisha Ramadass: bronze, women’s singles SU5 (para-badminton)
- Nithya Sre Sivan: bronze, women’s singles SH6 (para-badminton)
- Mariyappan Thangavelu: bronze, men’s high jump T63 (para-athletics)
For Mariyappan, the bronze completed a full set of Paralympic medals after gold at Rio 2016 and silver at Tokyo. Thulasimathi and Manisha both won their medals in the same SU5 class, giving the state both a silver and a bronze in one event.
What the state paid
Support came at two points. Before the Games, at an event at the Nehru Indoor Stadium on 30 July 2024, the then sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin handed out Rs 13.98 crore to 589 sportspersons. That included Rs 7 lakh each for the state’s 17 Paris-bound Olympians and Paralympians, Rs 1.19 crore in all, News Today reported.
After the Paralympics, the then Chief Minister M. K. Stalin presented cash awards at the Secretariat on 25 September 2024. According to The Bridge, the amounts were:
| Athlete | Medal | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Thulasimathi Murugesan | Silver | Rs 2 crore |
| Nithya Sre Sivan | Bronze | Rs 1 crore |
| Manisha Ramadass | Bronze | Rs 1 crore |
| Mariyappan Thangavelu | Bronze | Rs 1 crore |
DT Next also reported the felicitation, with certificates presented alongside the cheques. These awards were made by the previous government; the current TVK-led government, in office since May 2026, has its own announcements on sports funding, which are best checked on SDAT’s site. Athletes and parents looking for the current incentive rules or application forms should contact the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, which runs the state’s schemes for sportspersons from its Chennai headquarters.
Quick answers
How many Tamil Nadu athletes went to Paris 2024?
The state government says 11 Olympians and 6 Paralympians. Media counts that include reserves list up to 13 Olympians.
Did any Tamil Nadu athlete win an Olympic medal in Paris?
No. All four of the state’s Paris medals came at the Paralympics.
Who won Tamil Nadu’s Paralympic silver?
Thulasimathi Murugesan, in women’s singles SU5 para-badminton.
How much did Paralympic medallists get from the state?
Rs 2 crore for silver and Rs 1 crore for each bronze, Rs 5 crore in total.
Information checked against official sources on 23 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Press release on SAAF Junior Athletics Championship, 11 September 2024 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Indian contingent for Paris Olympic Games: state-wise distribution (Outlook India)
- Udhayanidhi distributes Rs 13.98 cr to 589 TN athletes (News Today)
- Gagan Narang announced as chef de mission for Paris Olympics 2024 (News on AIR)
- India conclude Paris Olympics campaign with 6 medals (Morung Express / PTI)
- Full list of Indian medallists at Paris Paralympics (The Bridge)
- Tamil Nadu CM felicitates Paralympic medal winners (The Bridge)
- Tamil Nadu CM felicitates state’s Paris Paralympics heroes (DT Next)
- IOA confirms 117-member Indian contingent for Paris Olympics (Scroll.in)
