"She is an internationally renowned and reputed athlete and we felt that she would be the perfect choice to head our sports body," said Radhakrishnan.

Anju, who is employed with the Customs department, is the only Indian ever to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2003 Paris when she leapt 6.70 metres in women's long jump.

The 38-year-old has represented India at the Olympics, Commonwealth and Asian Games and World Championships. An Arjuna Award winner, she currently holds the national record with a 6.83m jump at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The Kerala State Sports Council was established in 1954 and reconstituted in 1974 for promoting sports. It is a statutory body formed under the Kerala Sports Act, 2000, (Act 2 of 2001).