Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India is a strong contender to host the 2036 Olympics and announced that a nationwide talent hunt would be launched to identify sporting prospects aged between 5 to 15.
Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Modi said the government’s flagship Target Olympic Podium Scheme, launched in 2014, had been a major success in supporting athletes.
“India is making space for itself in the world of sports. We hear our national anthem frequently and see our tri-colour going up very often. TOPS has achieved great success. Whether it is Khelo India Games, University Games, Beach Games, Winter Games, or sports training, sports medicine, sports nutrition, India is moving ahead at great pace,” he said.
“India’s performance is improving, and we are strong contenders to become an Olympic host in 2036. We are hosting the CWG in 2030. There are about 40 disciplines in Olympics, with nearly 350 events. It is sad that we are not able even compete in at least two third of these events because we are not even able to qualify.
“We have decided that in 2036, we should have participation in at least three fourth events. We are launching a nationwide talent hunt for children aged 5 to 15 to identify prospects in every corner of the country. They will get special training to become world class athletes,” he added.
India is hosting the 2030 CWG in Ahmedabad, which is also in the race to host the 2036 Olympics.
Target Olympic Podium Scheme
In order to improve India’s performance at Olympics and Paralympics, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) started the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in September 2014. This was revamped in April 2018 to establish a technical support team for managing the TOPS athletes and providing holistic support. The scheme is fully functional and has been extending all requisite support to probable athletes identified for the 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games including foreign training, international competition, equipment and coaching camp besides monthly stipend of Rs. 50,000/- for each athlete.
TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which is an attempt to provide assistance to India’s top athletes. The Scheme looks to add a premium to the preparations of these athletes so that they can win medals in the Olympics. The Scheme currently supports 98 TOPS Core Group athletes across 13 sports disciplines & Hockey (M & W) teams and 165 TOPS Development Group athletes across 12 sports disciplines.
Khelo India Scheme
Sports is an extremely important component for the overall development of our nation. India, in the last few years has made steady progress in the field of sports. This tremendous potential needs to be showcased at a global platform. It’s time we inspire young talent, give them top-notch infrastructure and training of the highest level. We need to inculcate a strong spirit of participation in sports that enables players to demonstrate their true potential. Only then can India realise its dream of becoming a sport super power. The Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establish India as a great sporting nation.
The following verticals are implemented by Sports Authority of India – State Level Khelo India Centres, Annual Sports Competitions, Talent Search and Development, Sports for Women, Support to National/Regional/State Sports Academies, Promotion of Sports among persons with disabilities, Promotion of rural and indigenous/tribal games, Physical Fitness of School going Children. In addition, the following verticals are implemented by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports – Play Field Development, Utilisation and Creation/ Upgradation of Sports Infrastructure and Sports for Peace and Development. The Community Coaching Development vertical is implemented by Lakshmi Bai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE).
