Olympics
Paris 2024: How much is India spending on it's athletes
A significant number of India's medal prospects are currently training overseas.
As the Paris Olympics draw closer, several of India's top athletes have opted to train abroad in the US and across Europe.
The superior training facilities and pleasant conditions overseas provide a more conducive environment for their preparation when compared to the harsh Indian summer and a monsoon season that can be disruptive.
Add to this the burden of expectations from their home country and these athletes are now leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of top performance.
But training overseas doesn't come easy.
To bridge this gap and ensure athletes remain fully prepared, the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has been diligently allocating funds through its flagship Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
As of December 2023 and as per reports from ToI, a staggering INR. 17.9 crore has been spent on training athletes across various disciplines under TOPS.
Discipline-wise breakdown
The financial expenditures under TOPS have been broken down based on disciplines, highlighting significant investment in Athletics (INR. 6.25 crore), Badminton (INR. 5.77 crore), followed by Shooting (INR. 3.83 crore), and Tennis (INR. 1.57 crore).
Para sports haven't been neglected either, with INR. 1.17 crore being allocated for their training needs.
The remaining INR. 1.75cr was received by Wrestling, Weightlifting, Boxing, Archery, Swimming, and Equestrian.
Overseas training camps
Several other prominent athletes have also established their training bases abroad. Here's a glimpse into their locations and corresponding investments:
- Avinash Sable, Parul Chaudhary & Harmilan Bains (Athletics): Colorado Springs (USA) - INR.1.79 crore (107 days)
- Rohan Bopanna (Tennis): Rotational camps across USA, Monaco, Spain, Italy, France & UK - INR.1.03 crore (181 days)
- Neeraj Chopra (Athletics): South Africa, Finland, Germany & Turkiye - INR. 48.76 lakh (176 days)
- Mirabai Chanu (Weightlifting): St. Louis (USA) - INR.42.54 lakh (65 days)
- Nishad Kumar & Mariyappan Thangavelu (Para Athletics): Chula Vista (USA) - INR.39.83 lakh (75 days)
- Vinesh Phogat (Wrestling): Rotational camps across Bulgaria, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Spain & France - INR.33.07 lakh (97 days)
- PV Sindhu (Badminton): Germany - INR.26.60 lakh (36 days)
- Lakshya Sen (Badminton): Marseille (France) - INR.9.33 lakh (14 days)
- Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing): Czech Republic - INR.4.41 lakh (6 days)
A global training network
The report reveals that 29 Indian athletes have trained or are training in the USA, making this the most significant concentration.
Additionally, France, Spain, and Germany host 7 athletes each, while Italy houses 4.
Other training bases include Hungary, Australia, South Korea, the UK (3 athletes) South Africa, Turkiye, and Monaco (2 athletes).
With the Paris Olympics just around the corner, India’s focus remains on a big medal haul. The substantial investment in TOPS and the commitment of athletes to train overseas paint a promising picture for the upcoming games.