New Delhi,feb 22
Olympic medallists Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu and Manu Bhaker are among the key athletes retained in the Indian Sports Ministry’s revised Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) core group, as the Ministry streamlines its focus on medal prospects for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The flagship initiative, designed to support potential Olympic medal winners through financial assistance for training, competition, and overseas exposure, has been trimmed from 179 to 94 athletes ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics. The updated list includes 42 athletes and 52 para-athletes, with performance reviews set to take place every six months.Among those continuing in the core programme are boxers Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen, wrestlers Aman Sehrawat and Antim Panghal, and weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu.Athletics standouts such as Avinash Sable, and Murali Sreeshankar also retain their places, while Jyothi Yarraji, Shaili Singh, and the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams are part of the development group.Shooting continues to have a strong presence with 17 representatives, including Manu Bhaker, Swapnil Kusale, and Sarabjot Singh, all of whom secured medals at Paris 2024. Meanwhile, in badminton, PV Sindhu is joined by Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Archery stalwart Deepika Kumari also remains in the core list. Emerging talents such as squash prodigy Anahat Singh and swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu have been included in the development squad. However, athletes from equestrian, fencing, golf, sailing, and tennis have been excluded from the core list. Notably, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya, tennis ace Sumit Nagal, and table tennis veteran Sharath Kamal did not make the cut for the core group.
