A long list of 29 athletes got the nod for government support through the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) after a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
The list included 16 shooters — seven in rifle, six in pistol and three in shotgun. However, two of the leading shooters with enough triumphs to back their claims — Heena Sidhu and Jitu Rai — were kept in the pending list as the committee wanted to gauge their performance during the World Cup in New Delhi next February which would offer Olympic quota places.
Only two shooters, Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela, have won Olympic quotas so far.
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Apart from the 16, Hriday Hazarika, Divyansh Panwar, Shreya Agrawal, Aishwarya Pratap Tomar, Esha Singh and Manisha Keer have been taken in the developmental group for the 2024 Olympics.
The Sania question
In tennis, only the Asian Games doubles gold medallists Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan have been included in the scheme. Sania Mirza, who became a mother recently, would be considered for inclusion at a later date, for mixed doubles, once she starts training.
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In table tennis, Sharath Kamal, G. Sathiyan and Manika Batra have got the nod. Manika, the committee clarified, had been included on the basis of her mixed doubles performance with Sharath Kamal. Manav Thakkar and Archana Kamath were selected in the developmental squad for 2024.
Meanwhile, ₹8.75 lakh was sanctioned for wrestler Bajrang Punia for a 25-day training stint in Georgia in preparation for the Asian championship.
The list:
Shooting: Ravi Kumar, Deepak Kumar, Apurvi Chandela, Elavenil Valarivan, Mehuli Ghosh, Anjum Moudgil, Sanjeev Rajput, Abhishek Verma, Saurabh Chaudhary, Om Prakash Mitharval, Manu Bhaker, Anish Bhanwala, Rahi Sarnobat, Kynan Chenai, Lakshay Sheoran, and Angad Vir Singh Bajwa.
Tennis: Rohan Bopanna, and Divij Sharan.
Table tennis: Sharath Kamal, G. Sathiyan, and Manika Batra.