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What's the story?
Five new athletes were enrolled in the Target Olympic Podium scheme on Friday, May 25. The five athletes included are - Manavjit Singh Sandhu (Shooting), Lakshay Sheoran (Shooting), Seema Tomar (Shooting), Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (Badminton), and Chirag Shetty (Badminton).
In case you didn't know...
The Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme is a project under the Sports Ministry. The main motive of the scheme is to provide financial assistance and other necessary help to athletes covered under it.
Heart of the matter
Experienced shooter Manavjit Singh Sandu, along with four other athletes were enrolled in the TOP scheme. The decision to take them under the scheme was taken by Mission Olympic Cell.
Along with the three shooters, shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were also made a part of the scheme. Both the youngsters have been performing well and have been rewarded accordingly. However, singles players Ajay Jayaram was dropped out of the scheme due to his 'declining performances'.
Shooters Kynan Chenai and Rajeshwari Kumari were also dropped from the scheme, owing to their poor run in the recent past and for failing to make it to the Asian Games squad.
What's next?
Manvjit Singh Sandhu was not able to make the cut in Gold Coast as he failed to qualify for the tournament. However, he successfully made it to the squad for the Asian Games and being selected in the scheme is his reward for it. The other four athletes have been rewarded as well. They will now look to deliver strong performances to justify their selection under the scheme when the Asian Games begin.
The Asian Games will be held in Jakarta this time around and will commence on August 18.
Author's take
The TOP scheme expects players to bring big returns on investment by winning a medal at top international tournaments. As a result, the five new inductees have a clear task in hand - winning a medal in the 2018 Asian Games and the 2020 Olympics.
