

The list of athletes to be supported under TOPS:Ĭycling: Development Group: Esow Alben, Keithellakpam Jemsh Singh, Laitonjam Ronaldo Y Rojit Singh and E David Beckham (new inductee). TOPS is the Sports Ministry's flagship programme to add to the support given to the athletes under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition. The recently-reconstituted MOC offered suggestions for preparations for the 2024 Paris Games so that India can build on the gains of Tokyo Olympics where the country won seven medals, including a gold. It was also agreed upon that the MOC would meet every fortnight. "It entailed meticulous research, evaluation and projections of the athletes' performances before being placed before the MOC for consideration," it said. The ministry said the lists of athletes for the Core and Development Groups were collectively drawn up by the TOPS team and the respective National Sports Federations. "As many as seven athletes have earned elevation from the Khelo India Scheme and are among the new inductees to TOPS Development Group." "Though planning and preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris started much earlier, the MOC meeting marks the formal start of the shortened Olympic cycle," the Sports Ministry said in a release. The para athletes approved on Monday were from archery, athletics, badminton, shooting, swimming and table tennis.

Archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, equestrian, fencing, golf, gymnastics, judo, rowing and tennis will be taken up in the next meeting later this month. The approved athletes were from cycling, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, weightlifting and wrestling in Olympic sports. The MOC, which was re-constituted earlier this month to include seven more former international athletes, met here for the first time after the Tokyo Olympics.

More athletes will be added to the TOPS list in MOC's next meeting later this month. Seven Olympic and six Paralympic disciplines were identified for support under TOPS at a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Sports Ministry. As many as 20 new sportspersons were on Monday added to the list of Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), taking the total number of athletes to be funded by the Sports Ministry for the 2024 Paris Games to 148.
