TOPS comes under fire from ace shooters

Moments after securing the Rio Olympic berth, Heena Sidhu launched a tirade against the sports ministry's ambitious Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), saying the scheme has created more problems for the athletes rather than simplifying their preparation for the Games.

Sidhu said that even if she ended up winning 100 medals for the country, the ministry's attitude towards the sportspersons won't change.

"The ministry officials think that it's very easy to win an Olympic medal. They believe that not much preparation is needed to qualify for the Olympics, World Championships or any other major international tournament. Talking about my case, there has been a delay of four to six months in clearing the payments under TOPS. I have spent some Rs55 lakh on my Rio Olympic preparation, but the ministry has only disbursed Rs30 lakh so far. There is no news about when I'll get those remaining Rs25 lakh. Definitely, wrong has been happening with me," Sidhu said.

She said she would soon start preparing for Rio Games without her husband-cum-coach Ronak Pandit as he wouldn't be there at the Rio Games to guide her.

"The ministry won't understand his importance as my personal coach. He has helped me remain positive under difficult times. He has been a big source of inspiration for me. But, the ministry thinks that he is not an important part of my training, being my husband. They can stop him from accompanying me but not me from performing well," she added.

India's lone individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra said the government should have implemented the TOPS in a better way.

"It's a well-meaning scheme, but it's just that the delivery is a problem. The government has its own rules and regulations. We need to see both sides," said Bindra, who was part of the TOPS before quitting in October last year.