Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme

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About Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme:

The funding is being provided under Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
The TOPS Scheme has seen successes in the form of PV Sindhu (badminton) and Sakshi Malik (wrestling), who won the silver and bronze medals respectively in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

What is it? It is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) which is an attempt to provide assistance to India’s top athletes.
Launch: It was started in September 2014 and was revamped in April 2018 to establish a technical support team for managing the TOPS athletes and providing holistic support.
Mission Olympic Cell: It is a dedicated body created to assist the athletes who are selected under the TOP Scheme. The MOC is under the Chairmanship of the Director General, Sports Authority (DG, SAI).
TOPS Elite Athletes’ Identification Committee:
- It was constituted to identify the elite athletes who could achieve the Olympic podium.
- MYAS is responsible for appointment of TOPS members with emphasis on ensuring representation from ‘High-Priority’ sports (Archery, Badminton, Boxing Hockey, Shooting and Wrestling).
- The total members of the committee are to be decided by MYAS. TOPS constitution does not stipulate minimum/maximum members for the committee.