Anju Bobby George appointed TOPS chairperson

Former long jump champion Anju Bobby George was, on Tuesday, appointed the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) chairperson.

The sports ministry has cleared her appointment for the post that fell vacant after the resignation of BJP parliamentarian and Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Anurag Thakur.

Anju, the only Indian to have won a medal at World Championships (Paris, 2003), will be assuming charge in December first week. She is presently a member of the TOPS' identification committee, which also includes national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand and former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid.

First on her agenda would be to look into the complaints of athletes facing difficulty in getting the requisite support and funding from the government as part of their preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"It's a big responsibility. I have to keep in mind the struggle of our medal hopefuls under TOPS. I hope I can support the athletes and help them in achieving their dreams at the Rio Olympics. As an athlete, I can understand their problems, their training and equipment needs and, most importantly, the value of time," Anju said.

Anju said she was "a little bit" aware about the problems of TOPS athletes and added that sportspersons sometimes don't make "genuine" demands.

"I have to discuss the problems with the identification committee and how we can tackle them to ensure smooth implementation of the scheme. I believe all the TOPS probables are getting the support now, but there have been some cases where the sportspersons don't justify their demand. Some athletes don't submit or clear bills after returning from a training stint abroad. There hasn't been report from coaches or the kind of training they underwent. If those athletes again ask for funding, then it would be difficult for the government to release further funds and clear his/her trip. I know that some of the athletes are not ready to produce bills. I'd be looking into all these issues for the benefit of our athletes," she said.