Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Saturday that the Modi government’s ‘TOPS’ program to assist athletes, which began in 2014, resulted in the country obtaining its best-ever tally in the Olympics and its first gold in athletics.
He stated that the ‘Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) was launched in September 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s supervision.
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What is the ‘TOPS’?
The Government of India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) created the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in 2014.
TOPS was founded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) to provide financial assistance to India’s top athletes to help them win medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as well as other international sporting events.
Additions to the group of Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)
On May 24, 2021, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India announced the inclusion of five athletes in the core group of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
The TOPS core group now includes tennis star Ankita Raina, wrestlers Sumit Malik and Seema Bisla, and rowers Arvind Singh and Arjun Lal Jat.
Selection panel
According to Sonowal, who was the sports minister until 2017 in the first administration of the Modi government before becoming the chief minister of Assam, Anurag Thakur chaired a selection panel comprised of experts in the search for possible medal winners.
Aim of the scheme
According to Sonowal, the government offered financial assistance, training, coaching, and medical assistance to athletes and sportspeople as needed under this program. He went on to say that the scheme’s main goal was to win medals in the 2020 Olympics.
Tokyo 2020 truly memorable for India
Neeraj Chopra, a debutant javelin thrower, cracked many glass barriers to win India’s first Olympic gold medal in 13 years. India finished the competition with seven medals in total, including two silver and four bronze, thanks to Chopra’s gold on the final day of the competition making Tokyo 2020 memorable for India.
