The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has asked around 150 athletes who got cash under the TOP Scheme to submit bills and provide Utilization Certificates (UCs) by January 31, otherwise, their funding will be terminated. The deadline was set by SAI’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), which decided at a recent meeting that more than Rs 7 crore had been paid to athletes under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) since 2014 was still missing. Many big names among the athletes, according to an SAI source, have failed to pay their costs.
“Many top athletes have yet to submit their bills, necessitating this step. The money belongs to the taxpayers, and the athletes are required to provide information regarding how they spent it “PTI quoted an SAI source as saying. “All athletes who have not yet submitted their invoices and UCs have been requested by the MOC to do so by January 31. If they do not comply, TOPS’ financial assistance may be halted in the future.” “There are even competitors who competed in the Rio Olympics but have since retired. They have not submitted their bills despite repeated warnings from their individual National Sports Federations (NSFs), which is unethical “Added the source.
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The athletes’ names, however, were not revealed by the official. The TOPS program was launched by the Sports Ministry in 2014 with the goal of providing financial help to India’s top athletes as they prepare for the Olympics and Paralympics. The scheme includes foreign training, international competition, equipment, and coaching camps, as well as a monthly stipend of Rs 50,000 for potential athletes. Apart from hockey teams (both men and women), the initiative now supports 104 TOPS Core Group athletes across 13 sports disciplines and 269 TOPS Development Group athletes across 12 sports disciplines.
