 "Neeraj Chopra, Neeraj")
Bhubaneswar: Javelin throwers Neeraj Chopra before the start of the Mens Javelin Throw event of the 27th National Federation Senior Athletics Competition, in Bhubaneswar, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Photo: PTI)
India in Paris Olympics: In a bid to boost India’s medal tally at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, the Centre has spent a record Rs 470 crore on India’s preparation for the Games across 16 disciplines.
The multi-sport event will be held in the French capital from July 26 to August 11.
During the Tokyo Olympics, India had won seven medals overall, marking its best-ever haul at a single edition of the Olympics.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s performance, which led him to clinch a gold in Tokyo, the only second by an individual after Abhinav Bindra, paved the way for a funding boost for the athletics discipline this time.
According to official data from the Sports Authority of India’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), the Centre spent a whopping Rs 96.08 crore for athletics, making it the highest among all disciplines.
In the previous Olympic cycle, the sports ministry allocated Rs 5.38 crore in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (Tops) funding to the discipline. This means the discipline got an overall budget boost of nearly 1,685 per cent.
Aiming to boost India’s athletic record at the Games, Chopra will lead a 28-member contingent of athletes with the country’s overall representation at 118.
Which sports discipline got how much funding?
After athletes, the shuttlers got the second most funding this time at Rs 72.02 crore. Boxing and shooting followed at the next two spots at Rs 60.93 crore and Rs 60.42 crore respectively.
The Hockey team, which secured a bronze medal last time, got Rs 41.29 crore while archery got Rs 39.18 crore from the Centre.
The wrestlers received Rs 37.80 crore and weightlifting Rs 26.98 crore.
Other sports such as tennis, golf, sailing, rowing and swimming have each got a budget of less than Rs 4 crore, the data showed.
Equestrian, the discipline related to horse riding, received the least funding at close to Rs 95 lakh.
(With PTI inputs)
First Published: Jul 16 2024 | 3:27 PM IS