Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) adds 10 more athletes to TOPS, including 5 golfers

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) adds 10 more athletes to TOPS, including 5 golfers

• The Mission Olympic Cell under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has added ten athletes to the list of athletes who would be provided support under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
• Of the total 10 new entrants, five athletes have been included in the Core group while five have been added to the Development group.
• With the 10 new addition, the total number of athletes under TOPS has increased to 301, which includes 107 in the Core group while 294 in Development group.

Athletes added to Core group includes:

1. Fouaad Mirza (Horse Rider/ Equestrian)
2. Anirban Lahiri (Golf)
3. Aditi Ashok (Golf)
4. Diksha Dagar (Golf)
5. Mohammed Arif Khan (Alpine Skiier )

Athletes added to Development group includes:

1. Shubhankar Sharma (Golf)
2. Tvesa Malik (Golf)
3. Yash Ghangas (Judo)
4. Unnati Sharma (Judo)
5. Linthoi Chanambam (Judo)

Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)

• TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which was launched in September 2014 and revamped in April 2018.
• The scheme aims to provide all requisite support and assistance to probable athletes identified for the Olympic Games/Paralympic Games and other major international tournaments, so that they can win medals..

Source: PIB

Points to Remember:

1. TOPS scheme full form
2. TOPS Scheme is of which ministry?
3. Currently, how many athletes are there in the list of athletes identified for TOPS scheme?
4. Which unit of the Ministry of Sports selects athletes for TOPS scheme?
5. In which year was the scheme launched?