Sports Ministry Sanctions Proposals to Boost Athletes’ Preparations for Paris 2024

New Delhi: The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has sanctioned a series of proposals aimed at providing comprehensive support to athletes and Para-athletes in their preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In its latest meeting, the MOC approved financial support for Paralympic Table Tennis medallist Bhavina Patel to participate in the ITTF Para Table Tennis Asia Training Camp 2024, scheduled in Thailand from July 16 to 20. The sanction includes provisions for her coach and escort, ensuring comprehensive support for her training.

Further approvals were granted to Para-shooters Manish Narwal, Rudranksh Khandelwal, Rubina Francis, and Sriharsha R Devareddy for specialized sports shooting equipment. Sriharsha will receive an Air Rifle, Rubina a Morini Pistol, and Sandeep Choudhary will be provided with two Javelins (Valhalla 800g Medium NXB and Diana Carbon 600g) to enhance his performance.

In addition, financial aid for the procurement of archery equipment was approved for Archers Ankita Bhakat, Deepika Kumari, and Para-archers Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar, ensuring they have the necessary resources to excel in their sport.

Judoka Tulika Maan and her coach received approval for training at the Valencia Judo High Performance Centre in Spain until July 25. Table Tennis player Manush Shah’s request for financial assistance to train under Korean Coach Taejun Kim in Gyeonggi Do, South Korea, and for the purchase of physical fitness equipment was also sanctioned.

The MOC further bolstered its support by including athletes Suraj Panwar, Vikash Singh, and Ankita Dhyani, and swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Core group. Additionally, athletes Jeswin Aldrin, Praveen Chithravel, Akashdeep Singh, and Paramjeet Singh were promoted from the TOPS Development to Core Group.