Separate funding scheme for Asian Games medal prospects not elite enough for Olympic podium

To cut the flab from its flagship Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and ensure only genuine medal prospects remain a part of it, the government is set to introduce a two-tier system to fund India’s athletes.
And while TOPS will continue to ex, a new Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) is set to be launched to provide financial support to those athletes who might not be considered good enough to medal at the Games but remain strong prospects for the continental mega event, which will next be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, in 2026.
The restructuring of athletes’ funding has been debated for months after the Paris Olympics within the government as well as the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), a high-powered body that monitors preparations for major multi-discipline competitions.
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A separate scheme for the Asian Games was first proposed before the Paris Olympics but the concept didn’t have many takers. However, after India won only six medals at last year’s Games — one silver and five bronze – the idea was back on the table. More so because, less than a year before the Paris Olympics, India for the first time won more than 100 medals at the Asian Games.
“The Asian Games haul didn’t translate into Olympic medals,” a source said. “The feeling was that while we need to make stringent rules for who is eligible for funding under TOPS, we must also encourage athletes who have a genuine chance of winning medals at the Asian Games, since they are also important.”
“For instance, in rowing or athletics, we win medals at the Asian Games but not at the Olympics, except Neeraj Chopra. Similarly, kabaddi is not at the Olympics but it is an important sport for us at the Asiad, so the players must be supported,” the source added.
The funding guidelines for TAGG are not yet known.
Meanwhile for TOPS, the key benchmark, it has been suggested, should be the ability to challenge for a medal at the Olympics, as the name of the scheme implies.Story continues below this ad
At present, there are close to 300 athletes across the core and developmental groups who receive financial support under TOPS. One MOC official projected that number could be halved if the selection rules get strict.
Being a part of the TOPS gives athletes significant privileges. Once picked, they can come up with customised training programmes, hire coaches and other support staff members, and virtually pick a training base anywhere in the world. Their proposals are vetted the MOC members before being approved.
During the three-year Olympic cycle from 2021 to 2024, the government spent Rs 72 crore under the TOPS, almost double the amount spent in the lead-up to Rio 2016.
Athletes who aren’t picked for the TOPS receive funding via other schemes but do not have the liberty of personal coaching or tailor-made training programmes unless they are supported private organisations.