The Sports Ministry has added 107 athletes to the existing list of Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) under Sports Authority of India (SAI). TOPS is a scheme under which selected sportsmen will receive funds to prepare themselves for the upcoming Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics.
Out of the chosen 107 players, only four were picked till the 2020 Olympic Games. The remaining athletes were only chosen for the Commonwealth and Asian Games. With the inclusion of these sportspersons to the list, the total number has gone up to 152.
The overwhelming performance of Indian sportsmen in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games has forced SAI to take immediate decision on the funding of athletes. “We are reviewing with the federations and how they want to use our funds. The athletes with potential need extra support and that’s the reason for including these young shooters and boxers in the TOPS scheme,” said SAI Director General Neelam Kapur.
Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had recently announced that all the sportspersons named in the TOPS list will get a monthly allowance of Rs 50,000.