Bopanna, Sharan Granted Additional Funding to Train for Olympics

Having received Rs 1.24 crore through the current Olympic cycle, Bopanna will be further provided Rs 27.61 lakh.

Indian team of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan are extended an additional amount to prepare for Olympics. 

(Photo: PTI)

The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) on Monday cleared the funding for India's doubles tennis star Rohan Bopanna, his coach and physio for 11 tournaments under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

Bopanna, who has already received Rs 1.24 crore through the current Olympic cycle, will be further granted an amount of Rs 27.61 lakh for participating in 11 tournaments between January and June this year.

A semi-finalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bopanna will be accompanied by coach Scott Davidoff and physio Gaurang Shukla. The star athlete is currently placed at 39 in the ATP doubles rankings.

The MOC also sanctioned Rs 30 lakh for men's doubles player Divij Sharan to compete in 14 tournaments from January to June. Prior to this, Sharan had received Rs 80.59 lakh from TOPS in the Olympics cycle.

Asian champion Vinesh Phogat will continue to train overseas till the Olympics in July after her proposal for Rs 20.21 lakh to train in Hungary and Poland was approved. She has so far been handed Rs 1.13 crore under TOPS.

Vinesh, who won India an Olympic quota in 53kg at the World Championships in September 2019, will train in Budapest till June 9, travel for the Poland Open (June 9 to 13) and return to Budapest, where she will train till July 2. Her coach, Woller Akos, sparring partner Priyanka and physiotherapist Poornima Raman Ngomdir will accompany her all through her training.

The MOC also cleared a proposal from rowers Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh to train for five weeks at the Pocinho High-Performance Centre in Portugal in June. The doubles scullers achieved Olympic qualification earlier this month in Tokyo. Their camp in Poland will cost Rs 21 lakh.