AMARAVATI: For the first time in the State of Andhra Pradesh, the government sanctioned a sports pension of Rs 10,000 per month to Chinta Pratap Kumar, an international veteran athlete, and Asian Games medalist. Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Chairman Byreddy Siddharth Reddy, SAAP VC, and MD M Prabhakar Reddy handed over the pension amount to Pratap Kumar at the SAAP premises on Monday. Prathap Kumar was also felicitated by the SAAP Chairman.

SAAP Chairman Byreddy Siddharth Reddy said that for the first time in the history of the State, pensions were being given to the players showing the priority given by the government to sports and senior players. Pratap Kumar expressed happiness that the AP government was granting him a pension and understanding his poor financial condition.

Pratap Kumar won 9 gold, 6 silvers, and 2 bronze medals at the national level and also participated in various international games. . He won second place in the Indo-Russian Athletic Games at Madras in 1973. At the 2nd Asian Athletic Championships held in South Korea in 1975, he won a bronze medal in the 800 meters race by a record 48 seconds. The same year he won first place in the triangular 800mtrs at the Philippines games.

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