Indian athletes have secured a total of 15 medals in the last 3 Olympics, and India’s performance in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games has also been outstanding. A major reason for this is the support being given to sports by the government, and this has been possible because Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from his first term itself, has not only assured but also delivered continuous support to sports. On the occasion of Prime Minister Modi’s 75th birthday, we bring you details of those special initiatives that have improved the condition of Indian sports and athletes in the last 11 years.
Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS):
In May 2014, Modi took the oath as Prime Minister for the first time, and two months later, his government took the most important step towards improving India’s position in the Olympics. The Modi government launched the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in July 2014, under which athletes in different sports who could be medal contenders in the Olympics were identified. Under this, selected athletes are given a stipend of Rs 50,000 per month. Also, expenses are provided for any tournament or training program held abroad. Stars like PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and especially Neeraj Chopra have proved the success of this initiative by winning medals in the Olympics.
Khelo India Games:
If there is any ambitious sports project of the Modi government, it is this one. Under the initiative to provide Olympic-level players to the country, apart from cricket, the Khelo India Games were launched in 2017. Its objective is not only in the cities but also in rural areas, to provide new players with the platform and training from school to college, so that the country’s position in major tournaments like the Olympics and World Championships can be improved in the coming years. This is the reason that 19 Khelo India Games have been organized at different levels in the last 8 years. Khelo India Youth Games, Khelo India University Games, Khelo India Winter Games, Khelo India Para Games, and Khelo India Beach Games are being organized in different parts of the country under which future stars are being prepared.
Khelo India Centre of Excellence:
The vision of Prime Minister Modi towards sports is not limited to just winning medals, but also to attract the youth towards sports and the goal of their overall development. This is the reason that not only games are organized but also the identification of such players from the small and big villages and cities of the country who leave their mark in these games. For this, Khelo India Centers (1057) and Khelo India State Centers of Excellence (34) have been established, in which former champion players train future players, pay attention to their fitness through sports science along with their skills.
Khelo India Talent Identification:
Just as TOPS has been prepared for the Olympics, in a similar way, there is also the Khelo India Talent Identification program. Selection of some special players is done from the National Championships and camps of different sports, who are then trained in the certified academies of the country. Currently, 2808 such athletes have been identified, and an expenditure of Rs 6 lakh 28 thousand per year is being incurred on each such trainee athlete.
