Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme

Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Recently, the Sports Ministry’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has approved the inclusion of Alpine Skiing athlete Md Arif Khan in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Core group.
He is included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) until the Winter Olympics, scheduled this February in Beijing, China.

About: Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme was formulated in July 2014 under the overall ambit of the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF).
Parent Ministry: Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme is being implemented under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), GOI.
Key Objectives: Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme aims to identify, groom and prepare potential medal prospects for Olympic and Paralympic Games.
- Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme also aims to provide financial assistance and other help to athletes in their pursuit of medals in the Olympics and other international sporting events.
Funding: More than 50 % of the total expenditure of the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) has been incurred on the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme.

High Priority Group: Under Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme, this has been created to put focus on and incentivize those sports disciplines played in the Olympics in which-
- India has won medals in the last conducted Asian Games as well as Commonwealth Games or
- In which India has a good chance of winning medals in the Olympics.
Sports Categories in High Priority Group: Presently, nine sports disciplines have been categorized as ‘High Priority’. They are-
- Athletics,
- Badminton
- Hockey
- Shooting
- Tennis
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling,
- Archery and
- Boxing
Benefits: Under TOP Scheme, all requisite support is provided to probable athletes identified for the Tokyo-2021, Paris-2024 and Los Angles-2028 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
- Support includes foreign training, international competition, equipment and coaching camp besides a monthly stipend of Rs.50,000/- for each athlete.

Mission Olympic Cell (MOC): It is a body created to identify and support the athletes who are selected under the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme.
Parent Ministry: Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) functions under the overall supervision of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Ministry of Sports Affairs.
Key Functions: Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) under Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme is responsible for the following activities-
- Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) approves specialized training programs for selected athletes.
- Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) is also responsible for recommending financial disbursements for the programs.
- Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) is entrusted with establishing a reporting structure for the training programs of the athletes.
- Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) is responsible for supporting, monitoring and reviewing the training programs of the athletes.
- Feedback Mechanism: Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) is entrusted with informing the athletes of their performance and requirements, among others.