Not in TOP Scheme but among Asian Games medallists

The TOP Scheme is one of the most ambitious projects in Indian sports in recent years.

Manjit Singh, who won a gold in the 800m at the recently concluded Asian Games is hoping for inclusion in the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme.

Asian Games 800m gold medallist Manjit Singh, who doesn’t have a regular job, has requested the sports ministry to include him in the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme to prepare for upcoming big events such as the 2020 Tokyo Games.

The TOP Scheme is one of the most ambitious projects in Indian sports in recent years.

It was put in place in 2015 to groom players for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

READ: How to make it really tops!

A post-Rio Olympics assessment showed, crores were invested, but India won only two medals — badminton star P.V. Sindhu's silver and wrestler Sakshi Malik's bronze.

READ: When money and performance didn’t go hand in hand

The process of inclusion in the TOP Scheme has changed since. Performance reviews and accountability are among the changes brought in.

Manjit isn't the only athlete hoping for inclusion in TOP Scheme

Here is a list of India's Asian Games medallists who were not included in the scheme (as on 18.07.2018), and would be hoping to get in to pursue sporting excellence without the added pressure of worrying about money.

 

 

Team Medallists not on TOPS list as on 18.07.2018   Gold:   Rowing (Men's quadruple sculls) : Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhokanal, Om Prakash and Sukhmeet Singh Gold:   Athletics (Women’s 4x400m relay) : Saritaben Gayakwad and VK Vismaya Gold: Bridge (Men’s pair): Pranab Bardhan and Shibnath Sarkar Silver: Whole of the Indian Women’s Kabaddi Team Silver: Equestrian (Eventing team): Maj Ashish Malik, Jitender Singh, Rakesh Kumar and Fouaad Mirza. Silver: Archery (Women's team compound): Muskan Kirar and Madhumita Kumari Silver: Archery (Men's team compound): Aman Saini  Silver: Sailing (49er FX Women): Varsha Gautham and Sweta Shervegar Silver: Whole of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team Silver: Squash (Women’s team): Tanvi Khanna and Sunayna Kuruvilla. Bronze: Whole of the Men’s Regu Sepak Takraw Team Bronze: Whole of the Indian Men’s Kabaddi Team Bronze: Rowing (Men's lightweight double sculls): Rohit Kumar and Bhagwan Singh Bronze: Bridge (Men's team): Jaggy Shivdasani, Rajeshwar Tewari, Sumit Mukherjee, Ajay Khare, Raju Tolani, Debabrata Majumder. Bronze: Bridge (Mixed team): Kiran Nadar, Hema Deora, Himani Khandelwal, Bachiraju Satyanarayana, Gopinath Manna, Rajeev Khandelwal Bronze: Table tennis (Men's team): A Amalraj Bronze: Sailing (49er Men): Varun Thakkar Ashok and Chengappa Ganapathy Kelapanda Bronze: Squash (Men's team): Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, Ramit Tandon and Mahesh Mangaonkar