“I am the first fencer from India to have ever played in an Olympics. I gifted the first sword that was used by me in Olympics to Chief Minister, but he returned it asking me to perform better in the next Olympics,” said Bhavani Devi, while addressing reporters, after meeting the Chief Minister. 

She also said that the Chief Minister and the state government encouraged sportspersons and Stalin had earlier appreciated her and her mother. Chief Minister Stalin also assured that the state government will continue to support her in all future events. 

When asked about the support of state government for her, the fencer replied that the elite sportsmen scholarship of Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) had helped her to a great extent in the last five years to undertake training in different countries and to perform well in the international arena. 

Bhavani Devi, an employee of Tangedco, said that she was confident that her participation in Tokyo Olympics would get her a promotion in job.