Anurag Thakur wants changes in TOPS criteria

Vinayak Padmadeo

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New Delhi, April 8

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has pitched for the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) members to take greater interest in other sports disciplines to streamline the process of athletes’ induction into the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

Thakur chaired a marathon meeting of the MOC, which was attended by representatives of high priority sports — athletics, badminton, hockey, shooting, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling, archery and boxing — besides a number of senior Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials. The meeting continued well past midnight on Thursday.

Thakur stressed on making the criteria of selecting athletes stricter. He also told the MOC members to take more responsibility.

Thakur, as per sources, took this stance after a few of the members were caught off-guard by some of the presentations given by the federations, starting with archery. Incidentally, Thakur was the first chairman of TOPS when it was started in 2014.