2016 Rio Olympics: Qualify for event or lose TOPS funding, says Sports ministry

                    
In what could be bad news for Indian athletes receiving funds from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), the sports ministry has decided to stop the funding for those who fail to secure an Olympic quota for the 2016 Rio Games after the end of their qualification tournaments. dna has learnt that the athletes would no longer be entitled to claim the TOPS money but would continue to receive financial assistance under the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF).
The ministry's sudden move comes as a surprise considering the TOPS funding was meant to be continued till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. When the scheme was originally launched, it had been decided that athletes would be entitled to receive funding for other major international competitions as well, which included the World Cups and World Championships. But now, the ministry will only decide about its continuance after the Rio Games in August next year.
Currently, there are 84 elite sportspersons under the TOPS funding. Out of them, the ministry has already given funds of about Rs 1.35 crore to 10 athletes, while many other TOPS beneficiaries have been waiting for their release of funds. The ministry has earmarked around Rs 40 crore for the TOPS this year, in addition to Rs 100 crore from the NSDF. Shooters are going to be the first in the firing line with his decision, as the 13th Asian Shooting Championship that will be held in Kuwait from November 1 to 12 will act as the last Olympic qualifier for Rio. So far, only eight shooters — Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Jitu Rai, Gurpreet Singh, Prakash Nanjappa, Chain Singh, Apurvi Chandela and Mairaj Ahmad Khan – have qualified for the 2016 Olympics.
It would be a race against time for other TOPS beneficiary shooters such as Sanjeev Rajput, Manavjit Sandhu, Heena Sindhu, Vijay Kumar, Ayonika Paul, Ankur Mittal, Mohammad Asab, Kynan Chenai, Shweta Chaudhary, Malaika Goel, Rahi Sarnobat and Anisa Sayyed to book their Olympic berth or risk losing TOPS funding. "The athletes need not have to worry about their future if they don't qualify for Rio. They will continue to get the financial support through the NSDF. They will continue to receive funding for major international events," a source in the ministry said.
"The decision has been taken keeping in mind the basic nature of this scheme. The TOPS was launched to fund the Rio medal hopefuls. Now, those athletes who will fail to qualify will no longer remain the medal hopes for the country. In that scenario, the ministry doesn't see any need to continue their funding under the TOPS. Their contract would also effectively come to an end," he added. However, the sportspersons will not be asked to return the money spent on their training and exposure trips. shekhar.luthra@dnaindia.net
Money matters
Rs 1.35 crore
Amount the sports ministry has released under the TOPS to 10 athletes out of the total 84 so far
Rs 40 crore
Amnount the ministry has earmarked for the TOPS this year, in addition to Rs 100 crore from the NSDF