By: Aditya Ahuja
The Sports Ministry has approved the financial requests for overseas training of several top athletes, including the Olympic-bound trio comprising boxer Nikhat Zareen, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, and table tennis player Manika Batra. This decision was made during a meeting held on Wednesday.
Wrestlers Sujeet (65kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), and Naveen (74kg) are gearing up to travel to Russia alongside their sparring partners, coaches, and physiotherapists for intensive training ahead of the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament scheduled later this month.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ (MYAS) Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) will provide financial backing to Indian boxers Nikhat Zareen, Preeti Pawar, Praveen Hooda, and Lovlina Borgohain, along with two coaches and a physiotherapist, for an exclusive foreign training camp in Turkey.
Meanwhile, Indian shooter Bhowneesh Mendiratta is all set to fly to Italy for training sessions with personal coach Daniele Di Spigno, in preparation for the upcoming ISSF World Cup in Baku. The TOPS funding will cover various expenses including airfare, accommodation, food, visa fees, and coaching charges.
Additionally, the MOC has sanctioned financial assistance for Asian Games and Commonwealth Games (CWG) medalist Murali Sreeshankar’s participation in Diamond League competitions in Suzhou and Doha. TOPS will cover the expenses for his coach, psychologist, airfare, boarding, lodging, OPA, visa fees, and medical insurance, among others.
Indian paddler Manika Batra will also benefit from financial support for her involvement in the WTT Feeder Varazdin in Croatia, along with aid for her coach Aman Balgu’s participation in the World Mixed Doubles Olympic Qualification Event in Havirov, Czech Republic. MOC, under TOPS, will cover their airfare and hospitality expenses including accommodation, food, entry fees, and local transport during the Olympic Qualification event.
Moreover, during the meeting, the MOC included three shooters and one para-badminton player into the TOPS core group for this cycle. The four newly inducted athletes in TOPS are India’s para-shuttler Palak Kohli, skeet shooters Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Raiza Dhillon, and trap shooter Rajeshwari Kumari.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are scheduled to be held from 26 July to 11 August.