Sports Ministry trims Target Olympic Podium Scheme, just 94 athletes retained

In a surprising turn of events, the Indian Sports Ministry has drastically reduced the number of athletes in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Following a performance review, the total number of athletes has been trimmed down to 94 from 179. Interestingly, the number of para-athletes is more given their success in the Paris para-olympics 2024.

42 able-bodied athletes and 52 para athletes now comprise the Target Olympic Podium Scheme list. The previous list had 120 able-bodied athletes. But India’s 29-medal success in the para-Olympics has seen the para-athletes get their much-needed focus.

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Previously there were a total of 30 athletes, but now the number has been drastically reduced to 3. Neeraj Chopra (javelin), Avinash Sable (steeplechase), and M Sreeshankar (long jump) are the only ones having made the cut. Tajinderpal Singh Toor is a major missing from the list, as the country prepares for LA 2028 Olympics.

In terms of boxing Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen are present in the list. For the men, Amit Phangal, and Shiv Thapa have been left out. There have also been changes in badminton as well. The ace stars like P V Sindhu, H S Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty have made the list. K Srikanth and Ashwini Ponnappa however, have failed to make their place.

Table Tennis has also been pruned down. Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula are present while Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan are not present. Other sports like Tennis, Golf, and Swimming have been completely ignored. This means the iconic duo of Sumit Nagal and Rohan Bopanna have also been left out.