Sports ministry grants aid to India's top paddlers for international events

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has approved financial assistance for prominent players Swastika Ghosh, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Archana Kamath, and Manika Batra to compete in various international competitions, as confirmed during the Mission Olympic Cell's 127th meeting.

The allocation comes as the athletes gear up for crucial tournaments on their road to the Olympics. Swastika and Sathiyan are set to participate in WTT Feeder events, while Manika is slated to compete in the prestigious WTT Champions Incheon event in Korea.

Archana will also join the fray, aiming to make her mark in WTT Feeder events and undergo rigorous training in Dusseldorf ahead of the main competitions.

Currently, Indian women's number one paddler, Manika Batra was in action at Singapore Smash last week where she dished out a disappointing performance.

This financial assistance marks a pivotal moment for Indian table tennis, especially after the historic qualification of both the national men's and women's teams for the Olympics through the World team rankings, a first in the country's table tennis history.

Manika Batra was part of the Indian women's team that played a superb match against China in the World TT Championships while Sathiyan was part of the men's team that qualified for the Paris Olympics.

Two Indian singles players in the men's and women's singles categories will be granted a slot during the Paris Olympics after confirmation of both teams in the showpiece.