Latest news with #TargetOlympicPodiumScheme
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Hockey players finally get an out-of-pocket allowance after years of waiting
Indian Hockey team New Delhi: For reason unknown, the men and women national campers of Indian hockey weren't entitled to an out-of-pocket allowance (OPA) by the govt under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) over the years. Since the inception of TOPS in Sep 2014, athletes from other disciplines benefitted from the sports ministry's benevolence of monthly stipend to the identified pool of sportspersons but not the hockey players. However, this anomaly was rectified in a recent meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) here on Thursday. The 156th governing council meeting of the MOC has approved an OPA of Rs 25,000 per month for the national campers of both the men's and women's hockey teams after considering the request of the sport's national federation – Hockey India (HI). Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! A total of 80 players (40 men and 40 women) will benefit from the allowance which is given to athletes in the developmental group of TOPS. Athletes in the core group of TOPS receive a monthly stipend of Rs 50,000. The allowance to hockey players would cost the govt Rs 20 lakh per month, a ministry official said. Dominant India on Day 1! Jaiswal & Gill Hit Centuries | ENG vs IND 1st Test - Sahil from Leeds 'The allowance was requested by Hockey India for some time and we have decided to accept the demand. The players have performed reasonably well and it (this allowance) is being given on merit. The federation will have to submit a list of players to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) every month for disbursement of the funds,' sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said here on Friday. The men's team was considered for OPA after winning two back-to-back bronze medals — in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the subsequent Paris Games last year. The team also secured a gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. The women's team finished a creditable fourth in Tokyo. Both the teams are currently playing in the FIH Pro League's European leg. A ministry official informed that the proposals worth Rs 4.28 cr from athletes were approved by the MOC, including Rs 1.38 cr financial assistance to tennis players Saketh Myneni, Jeevan Nedu. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
News18
21 hours ago
- Business
- News18
Indian Hockey Players To Get A Monthly Stipend From Sports Ministry
Last Updated: Indian hockey players selected for national camps will receive a Rs 25,000 monthly allowance. The decision, costing Rs 20 lakh per month, was approved by the sports ministry. For the first time, Indian hockey players selected for the men's and women's national camps will receive a Rs 25,000 monthly out-of-pocket allowance, a decision sanctioned by the sports ministry after consistent requests from the sport's governing body. Eighty players (40 men and 40 women) are set to benefit from this allowance, which is extended to athletes in the developmental group of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. The decision was made during the Mission Olympic Cell's monthly meeting on Thursday. This allowance will cost the government Rs 20 lakh per month, while core group athletes receive Rs 50,000 per month. 'The allowance was being requested by Hockey India for some time, and we have decided to accept the demand. The players have performed reasonably well, and it is on merit," Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed reporters in an informal interaction. Hockey India will need to submit a list of players every month to facilitate the disbursement of funds. 'The list will consider form and fitness, and names might change depending on these factors," a sports ministry source explained. Currently, hockey players earn salaries from their respective departments and organisations, although a proposal for a graded contract system by Hockey India has been under consideration for the past few years. Their additional source of income comes from prize money for strong international performances in events like the Olympics and the Asian Games. The men's team has secured two consecutive bronze medals in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the subsequent Paris Games last year. The women's team finished fourth in Tokyo but did not qualify for the Paris event. Both teams are currently competing in the FIH Pro League's European leg, where the results have not been particularly encouraging so far. The MOC also approved financial proposals amounting to Rs 4.28 crore during the meeting. A significant portion of the funds — Rs 1.38 crore — will be allocated to tennis players such as Saketh Myneni, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, and three women players. 'Several proposals for assistance from para-athletes were also approved. Additionally, a few additions were made to the TOPS developmental group. The core group remains unchanged for now," a Sports Authority of India (SAI) official stated. The ministry has also decided to enhance its talent identification process with an app that will allow talented youngsters to upload their performances for evaluation by regional talent identification panels of the SAI. 'If found promising at first glance, the youngster will be invited to Khelo India Regional Centres where their potential will be assessed. This will broaden our talent identification mechanism, which is currently limited to age group competitions," Mandaviya said. 'It will ensure that we can reach the remotest corners of the country to find promising athletes. This is all part of the National Sports Repository System," he added. With PTI inputs.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Hockey players, reliant on PSUs and performance bonuses for a living, to get monthly allowance from government
The Sports Ministry has approved an out of pocket allowance of Rs 25,000 per month for hockey players who are picked in the national camp of both men's and women's team. The decision was taken after repeated requests from the governing body, Hockey India, in the monthly meeting of Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) on Thursday. A total of 80 players (40 men and 40 women) will be part of the scheme. Hockey India will be sending the players names to Sports Ministry. The allowance would cost the government Rs 20 lakh per month. The amount of Rs 25,000 will be same as the athletes in the developmental group of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme receive. The core group athletes are entitled to Rs 50,000 per month. 'Hockey India has requested us and we have decided to accept the demand as the players have performed well at the international level,' Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the reporters in an informal meet on Friday. 'The list would take into account form and fitness and names might change depending on these two factors.' Indian hockey players draw salaries from the Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) that they are employed with and tournaments like the Hockey India League (HIL). The other source of income is the prize money won from tournaments like Asian Games, Olympics, and Asian Champions Trophy and the prize money that follows after that. The MOC also approved financial proposals to the tune of Rs 4.28 crore during the meeting. Tennis players got the major chunk of the funds as Rs 1.38 crore will be going to tennis players Saketh Myneni, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, and three women players. The ministry is also planning to expand the talent finding horizon of SAI regional centers. 'A lot of times we see videos of kids playing some sport getting uploaded on social media. People are making it a medium to reach and if found good in the first glance, such youngsters will be called to Khelo India regional centers where their potential will be assessed,' said Mandaviya. 'This would widen our talent identification mechanism, which is right now limited to age group competitions. It would ensure that we can reach the remotest corners of the country and find a promising athlete. This is all a part of the National Sports Repository System,' he added.
India Gazette
a day ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
Mission Olympic Cell approves monthly pocket allowance of 25000 for Indian Senior men's, women's hockey teams
New Delhi [India], June 20 (ANI): The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has, for the first time, approved a monthly pocket allowance of 25,000 for the Indian Senior men's and women's hockey teams at their 156th meeting on Thursday, according to a release from MYAS. Hockey India will submit the players' lists to the Sports Authority of India (SAI). A total of 80 players from both teams will be given a monthly pocket allowance, which will cost 20 lakhs every month. This is a part of the recent achievements of the men's team, winning Bronze at Paris Olympics, Tokyo Olympics 2020 and Gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. In recent fixtures, India's form has dipped a bit after six straight losses. The Indian men's hockey team will now take on their nemesis in modern hockey, Belgium. Belgium comes into the game tomorrow with a 6-3 win against Spain, after they lost 1-2 in the previous tie to the same team. They are currently placed third in the points table after the Netherlands and Australia, respectively. The Indian men's and women's teams will take on Belgium in a double-header on June 21 and 22. India has slipped to the 8th position in the current pool standings, and with two matches to go, the team will look to end their campaign with a consolation win. MOC in their previous meeting, inducted seven compound archers in the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) Core group. The MOC took cognisance of the International Olympic Committee's recent decision to make compound archery part of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. The 155th MOC was attended by Pullela Gopichand, Viren Rasquinha, Prashanti Singh, Kamlesh Mehta, MM Somaya, Siddharth Shanker of Reliance Foundation, among others. It is the first time since archery's re-introduction to the Olympic Games in 1972 that a new bow style has been added to the competition. The seven compound archers inducted directly into the TOPS Core group are Ojas Pravin Deotale, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Gopichand Swami, Abhishek Verma, Parneet Kaur, Priyansh, and Prathamesh Samadhan Jawkar. (ANI)
United News of India
a day ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Sports Ministry approves monthly allowance for Hockey players
New Delhi, Jun 20(UNI) Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has approved a monthly out of pocket allowance of Rs 25,000 for those Hockey players who are picked for the national camp, an official said on Friday. Altogether 40 male and 40 female players will be eligible for the allowance. These 80 players would comprise attendees at the national camps under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The decision to this effect was taken at the 156th Mission Olympic Cell's monthly meeting held in the national capital on Thursday. This decision will further help Hockey players who have during the recent years brought laurels to the nation, Indian Men's team secured back to back Bronze medals at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and Paris Olympics 2024. They also won the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. The lucrative Hockey India League(HIL) that was relaunched in 2024 after seven years also is a major boost to Indian Hockey and will go a long way in developing talent in the country. UNI RKM SSP
