As preparations for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games are underway, the Sports Ministry has released a revised list of athletes under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), a flagship programme.
On Wednesday, March 11, in its 169th meeting, the Sports Ministry’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) included 249 athletes, 56 in TOPS, 62 para athletes and 130 under the developmental group. As per the revised list, Shooting and Boxing have received a major boost, while notable players like HS Prannoy and Deepak Punia have been dropped.
Athletes coming under the TOPS Core Group will be receiving a monthly stipend of ₹50,000, while the Development Group list gets ₹25,000 per month including training and competition opportunities.
World Boxing Finals gold medallist Hitesh Gulian and world champion Jaismine Lamboria have been placed in the TOPS list from the Development Group.
Meanwhile, World Champion Samrat Rana, multiple World Cup medallist Suruchi Phogat and ISSF World Shooting Championships fifth-place finisher Niraj Kumar, all have earned their spots after showcasing a range of brilliant performances at the global stage. Gulveer Singh, a long-distance runner has been added to the Core Group after securing national records in 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres events.
On the other hand, the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila has been placed in the Core Group after finishing in the world’s top 20 rankings. Swimmer Rishab Das was added to the developmental group as the national record holder in the men’s 200m backstroke event. The list also includes para athletes including Paralympic gold medallist Pramod Bhagat and Naveen Sivakumar.
Javelin thrower Annu Rani, two-time squad world champion Joshna Chinappa, tennis player D. Suresh, and cyclist Anjali Jakhar are all in the Target Asian Games Group (TAGG). Meanwhile, wrestler Deepak Punia, badminton ace HS Prannoy, and shooters Shiva Narwal and Divyansh Singh Panwar have been excluded from the list with respect to their recent performances on the world stage.
