Removal from TOPS list leaves athletes rudderless

THE MINISTRY IS WORKING TO CREATE A TARGET ASIAN GAMES GROUP WHERE A LARGE NUMBER OF ATHLETES WHO'VE MISSED THE TOPS BUS WILL LIKELY FEATURE

- Shantanu Srivastava

NEW DELHI: The union sports ministry's decision to prune the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) core group has left athletes worried with a number of them fretting over how to find alternative revenue streams to fund their training and exposure trips.

From 120 athletes in the core group for the Paris Olympics cycle, the number is down to 42 with accountability and potential being the key parameters. The government's flagship scheme for athlete support, TOPS provides funding for foreign training and competitions, equipment, and a monthly stipend of ₹50,000 to each athlete in the core group. India's entire 117-member able-bodied contingent for Paris Games was part of the core group, but following a sub-par return of six medals (1 silver, 5 bronze), the government's Mission Olympic Cell, in its second meeting post the Games, decided to redraw the TOPS list.