PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and other para-athletes included in TOPS programme
PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth were among the two high-profile names to be drafted into the sports ministry’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme programme. A total number of 26 athletes were selected from badminton, cycling, para-athletics, and para-shooting to be included in the TOPS initiative.
The Sports Authority of India’s Mission Olympic Cell convened a meeting on Wednesday after which a total of 26 athletes were selected from various sports ranging from badminton, cycling to para-athletics and para-shooting to be included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
The athletes have been added to the programme in the build-up for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Paralympics and 2024 Olympics. However, few of the younger athletes were drafted in the developmental group for the Olympic Games in 2024. In addition to this, a watch-list was also revealed for athletes competing in badminton, para-athletics, para-shooting, para-swimming, and Para-powerlifting. The names mentioned in the watch-list will be considered for TOPS on the basis of their performance across various competitions in the coming months.
From the field of badminton popular names, Kidambi Srikanth, Sameer Verma, HS Prannoy, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, Ashwini Ponnappa and Siki Reddy along with Pranav Chopra have been added to the lost. However, the last three names on the list are only part of the programme until the upcoming World Championships.
Among the cyclists, given India’s improved performances in the recent past at the junior level, four athletes were picked in the developmental group for the 2024 Olympics. The Indian contingent secured 10 medals at the Junior Asian Track Cycling Championship.
From the four disciplines that fall under para-athletics, the sports ministry has gone ahead and selected those athletes that they consider have the best shot at winning a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. The selection criteria applied for Para-Athletics were the current world rankings of the athletes and their performance in recent events in comparison to global opponents.
Varun Bhati, Sharad Kumar, Sandeep Chaudhary, Sumit, Sundar Singh Gurjar, Rinku Hooda, Amit Saroha, Virender and Jayanti Behera were the names of the para-athletes that were included in the TOPS programme on Wednesday. In addition to these names, Mariyappan Thangavelu, Deepa Malik, Devendra Jhajharia, Sandeep Singh Mann, Mithan, Aamit, Rampal Chahar, Dharambir, Ekta
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