Tokyo 2020: Modi govt’s ‘TOPS’ policy for athletes led to India winning its best-ever tally in Olympics: Sonow

He
said
the
‘Target
Olympic
Podium
Scheme’
(TOPS)
was
started
in
September
2014
under
the
guidance
of
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi.
Sports
Minister
Anurag
Thakur
led
the
selection
panel
comprising
experts
to
search
for
potential
medal
winners,
said
Sonowal
who
was
the
sports
minister
till
2017
in
the
first
dispensation
of
the
Modi
government
before
becoming
the
chief
minister
of
Assam.

Sonowal
said
under
this
scheme
the
government
provided
financial
assistance,
training,
coaching
and
medical
help
whenever
required
to
athletes
and
sportspersons.
He
further
said
the
main
target
of
the
scheme
was
to
win
medals
in
2020
Olympics.

Debutant
javelin
thrower
Neeraj
Chopra
shattered
several
glass
ceilings
to
become
the
country’s
first
gold-medallist
in
13
years
in
the
Olympics.
With
the
addition
of
Chopra’s
gold
on
the
last
day
of
their
competitive
schedule,
India
signed
off
with
seven
medals
in
all,
including
two
silver
and
four
bronze.