Rio Paralympics silver medallist Deepa Malik was named as the recipient of the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Sir Edmund Hilary Fellowship for 2019 on Thursday in recognition of her “inspiring achievements.”
New Zealand High Commission release said, “We are pleased to announce that the 2019 Sir Edmund Hilary Fellowship has been awarded to Indian Paralympics athlete Deepa Malik. The fellowship awarded by Prime Minister Jacinda Arden aims to strengthen the ties between India and New Zealand.”
It also added in the release,” It gives us great pleasure to award this fellowship to someone who exemplifies two values that makes a great sportsperson: courage and a can-do-it attitude. In Deepa, we see an inspiring achiever who can confidently and proudly carry forward our message of inclusivity and the pursuit of excellence.”
The 48-year-old Deepa who is also the recipient of Padma Shri, Arjuna Award and has 4 times entered Limca Book of World Records will work to promote sporting, cultural as well as the people-to-people relationship between India and New Zealand.
In response to this honor, Deepa told “the fellowship is a declaration of great attention towards the empowerment of women and of people with disabilities and the celebration of diverse cultures in both the countries.
