Financial Assistance through Target Olympic Podium Scheme to the Athletic

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Department of Sports) have formulated Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme’ in the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) with the objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. Focused disciplines will be Athletics, Archery, Badminton, Boxing, Wrestling and Shooting.

The selected athletes will be provided financial assistance for their customized training at Institutes having world class facilities and other necessary support. Benchmark for selection of athletes under the scheme will be in relation to international standards. There will be annual/semi-annual review of performance of selected athletes.

A Committee namely, ‘TOP Scheme Elite Athletes Identification Committee’ has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Shri Anurag Thakur, M.P. for laying down elaborate norms for selection of the right candidates, review of performance and operation of the scheme. Shri Rahul Dravid, Shri Pullela Gopichand, Shri Abhinav Bindra and Ms MC Mary Kom are among other members in the Committee. As on 28th April 2015, the Committee, after detailed deliberations, has decided on athletes in the following disciplines for assistance under the scheme:

(i) Athletics (19 athletes) (Athletes for 4x400 Women’s Relay Team and Race Walking Team are yet to be identified)

(ii) Archery (16 archers) (yet to be identified)

(iii) Badminton (6 Players)

(iv) Boxing (8 boxers)

(v) Shooting (17 shooters)

(vi) Wrestling (7 wrestlers)

(vii) Yachting (2 sailors)

36 athletes have so far agreed to join the Scheme. 20 have submitted their programmes. Some of these programmes have been approved and assistance has started flowing to the athletes.

India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL), a PSU under the Ministry of Finance, has agreed to contribute Rs. 30 crore to National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) by contribution of Rs. 10 crore per annum for next three years. Contribution of Rs. 10 crore for 2015-16 has already been received.

Benefits that have accrued or will accrue: Customized training at Institutes having world class facilities and other necessary support is being provided to the elite athletes, which would result in improved performance and a higher position in medals tally for the country in international sports events and mega-sports events.

Release of funds to athletes under TOP Scheme

In order to ensure that athletes under TOP scheme devote their time on training and preparation for Olympics 2016 and promptly get requisite funds as per entitlement under TOP scheme, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has decided as follows :-

(i) Project officers (PO) in SAI will, inter-alia, work as mentors and do the work of handholding of the athletes under TOP scheme for their respective disciplines. The POs will proactively contact the said athletes, get their training programs, get their application / documents / Bank Account details, etc. completed for getting funds from NSDF from TOP Scheme on immediate basis. Special emphasis / Priority will be given to the athletes who have won quota place for India in Olympics / Paralympics 2016.

(ii) 90% of funds requested would be released to athletes under TOP Scheme immediately as advance on receipt of their request as stated in para (i) above subject to their budget, entitlement and due approvals. Remaining 10% of the sanctioned amount would be released after successful completion of training / procuring the item / availing the services, requested for.

(iii) Further, it will be the responsibility of the concerned Project Officer of SAI for the respective disciplines, to get documents for expeditious settlement of advances given to the athletes under TOP scheme including invoices from the concerned athlete / support staff / institute imparting training, etc.

(iv) The above will however not be applicable for athletes who have lost all chances to win a quota place for India for Olympics 2016. Such athletes would have to apply in the normal course for assistance under NSDF.

2. The athletes are therefore requested to decide their training programs / requirements for preparation for Olympics 2016 on immediate basis, if not done already.

List of Athletes under TOP Scheme

List of Athletes Discipline Wise with focus on 2016 Olympics

Athletics (18 Athletes)

1 Vikas Gowda - Men’s Discus Throw

2 Seema Antil –Women’s Discus Throw

3 Arpinder Singh – Men’s Triple Jump

4 Inderjeet Singh - Men's Shot Put

5 K.T. Irfan - 20km Racewalking

6 Priyanka Pawar - 4x400m Women Relay

7 Tintu Luka - 4x400m Women Relay

8 Debashree Majumdar - 4x400m Women Relay

9 M.R. Poovamma - 4x400m Women Relay

10 Anilda Thomas - 4x400m Women Relay

11 Ashwini Akkunji - 4x400m Women Relay

12 Jauna Murmu - 4x400m Women Relay

13 Sini Jose - 4x400m Women Relay

14 Mandeep Kaur - 4x400m Women Relay

15 Manish Rawat - 20km Racewalking

16 Sandeep Kumar - 20km Racewalking

17 Devender Singh - 20km Racewalking

18 Gurmeet Singh – 20km Racewalking

Archery (12 Athletes)

19 Tarundeep Rai - Men Archery

20 Atanu Das - Men Archery

21 JaynataTalukdar - Men Archery

22 Mangal Singh Champia - Men Archery

23 Vishwash - Men Archery

24 RanjitNaik - Men Archery

25 DeepikaKumari - Women Archery

26 L Bombayla Devi- Women Archery

27 RimilBuriuly - Women Archery

28 Laxmi Rani Majhi - Women Archery

29 Dola Banerjee - Women Archery

30 SnehalDivakar- Women Archery

Badminton (10 Athletes)

31 Saina Nehwal – Women’s singles

32 P.V. Sindhu - Women’s singles

33 P. Kashyap – Men’s singles

34 K. Srikanth – Men’s singles

35 Guru Saidutt – Men’s Singles

36 H.S. Prannoy – Men’s Singles

37 Ashwini Ponnappa – Women’s Doubles

38 Jwala Gutta - Women’s Doubles

39 Manu Attri – Men’s Doubles

40 B. Sumeeth Reddy – Men’s Doubles

Boxing (9 Athletes)

41 MC Mary Kom – Women’s 51 kg

42 Sarita Devi – Women’s 60 kg

43 Pinki Jangra – Women’s 51 kg

44 Devendro Singh – Men’s 49 kg

45 Shiva Thapa – Men’s 56 kg

46 Mandeep Jangra – Men’s 60 kg

47 Vijender Singh – Men’s 75 kg

48 Vikas Krishan – Men’s 75 kg

49 SumitSangwan - Men's 81kg

Shooting (15 Athletes)

50 Abhinav Bindra – Men’s 10m Air Rifle

51 GaganNarang – Men’s 50m Rifle Prone

52 Sanjeev Rajput – Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions

53 Ayonika Paul – Women’s 10m Air Rifle

54 Apurvi Chandela – Women’s 10m Air Rifle

55 Heena Sidhu – Women’s 10m Air Pistol

56 Shweta Chaudhary – Women’s 10m Air Pistol

57 Jitu Rai – Men’s 10m Air Pistol, 50m Free Pistol

58 P.N. Prakash – Men’s 10m Air Pistol

59 Vijay Kumar – Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol

60 RahiSarnobat – Women’s 25m Sports Pistol

61 Anisa Sayyed – Women’s 25m Sports Pistol

62 Manavjit Sandhu - Men’s Trap

63 Chain Singh - Men's Rifle

64 Gurpreet Singh – 10m Air Pistol

Tennis (3 Athletes)

65 Leander Paes – Men’s Doubles & Mixed Doubles

66 Rohan Bopanna – Men’s Doubles & Mixed Doubles

67 Sania Mirza – Mixed Doubles

Wrestling (9 Athletes)

68 Sushil Kumar – Men’s 74 kg

69 YogeshwarDutt – Men’s 66kg

70 Bajrang – Men’s 66kg

71 Amit Kumar – Men’s 57kg

72 Rahul Aware – Men’s 57kg

73 Babita Kumari – Women’s 53kg

74 Vinesh Phogat – Women’s 48kg

75 Geeta Phogat – Women’s 58kg

76 Narsingh Yadav – Men’s 74kg

Para-Athletes (9 Athletes)

77 Amit Saroha - Men’s Club Throw and Discuss Throw

78 Sharad Kumar - High Jump

79 Devender - Javelin Throw

80 Karamjyoti - Shot Put and Discus Throw

81 Narender - Javelin Throw

82 Deepa Malik - Javelin Throw and Shot Put

83 H.N. Girisha –High Jump

84 Sandeep Mann - 400m

85 SharathGayakwad - Swimming

List of Athletes Discipline Wise with Focus on 2020 Development Program

Athletics (8 Athletes)

1 Khushbir Kaur - 20km Racewalking

2 ChaviSharawat - 4x400m Women Relay

3 Anju Thomas - 4x400m Women Relay

4 Nirmala - 4x400m Women Relay

5 Arpitha M. - 4x400m Women Relay

6 K. Ganapathy - 20km Racewalking

7 Navjeet Kaur - Women's Discus Throw

8 Jisna Mathew – 4x400m Relay

Archery (4 Athletes)

9 Sanjay Boro - Men Archery

10 Atul Verma - Men Archery

11 Binod Swansi - Men Archery

12 Madhu Vedwan - Women Archery

Boxing (1 Athlete)

13 Sarjubala Devi - Women's 48kg

Gymnastics (1 Athlete)

14 DipaKarmakar – Vault

Shooting (4 Athletes)

15 MalaikaGoel – Women’s 10m Air Pistol

16 Ankur Mittal – Men’s Double Trap

17 MohdAsab – Men’s Double Trap

18 KynanChenai – Men’s Trap

Sailing (2 Athletes)

19 VarshaGautam - 49erFX team

20 Aishwarya N. - 49erFX team

Swimming (1 Athlete)

21 Maana Patel - Backstroke