PM sets up task force for next three Olympics

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced setting up a Task Force to draw up a comprehensive action plan to prepare for India's participation in the next three Olympics starting with the 2020 Tokyo.

Seeking to have the first-mover advantage amid a raging debate over preparations, participation and medal-winning ability of Indian sportsperson in the backdrop of accusations of official apathy, the Prime Minister announced the setting up of the Task Force at the meeting of his Council of Ministers.

The task force, comprising members including in-house experts and from outside will be created in the next few days. It will prepare a comprehensive plan for effective participation of Indian sportspersons in the next three Olympics. The group will prepare the overall strategy for sports facilities, training, selection procedure and related matters.

The recent Rio Olympics saw one of the largest participation by India of over 100 sportspersons who qualified for the prestigious sporting event but many of them failed to move beyond the first stage. Over Rs 100 crore was spent in training the sportspersons under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

According to one set of figures, the Centre gave over Rs 480 crore to National Sports Federations between 2012 and December 2015 under National Sports Development Fund and of this Rs 120 crore went towards hiring foreign coaches and organising coaching camps.