JAKARTA: The supposedly discriminatory nature of the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme was again given a new voice. This time it was Viswash, a recurve archer who lost in the pre-quarterfinals of the men’s individual event, who did the talking. “Out of the four recurve men’s archers at the Asian Games, only one, Atanu Das, is in the scheme. So when there are no expectations for a medal from us, then what can we do?” he asked.
He was just beginning to grind the axe. “They (the sports ministry and the Archery Association of India) don’t have any focus on us,” he alleged. “If they had focused on us, they would have sorted out everything before we came here. We have to satisfy ourselves with what is available.” The TOP Scheme, a ‘flagship programme of the sports ministry, ‘is an attempt to provide assistance to India’s top athletes,’ according to a sports ministry circular issued on May 28. The scheme looks to add a premium to the preparations of these athletes so that they can win Olympic medals in 2020 and 2024 Olympics.
This programme included Atanu as it had identified him as a prospective medal candidate but had excluded athletes like Viswash, as he had not done enough. This was a thought echoed by Anil Kamineni, secretary general of the Archery Association of India (AAI). “I am familiar with how TOP Scheme works,” he told Express. “I think there is a proper process to it all, there is a TOP Scheme committee who sit and recommend athletes to it. If Atanu is in there, they believe he has the potential to stand on the podium.”
Incredibly, Viswash suggested that he was competing with borrowed equipment. “I am not using first-hand equipment. I had to borrow one part from Deepika, the handle is somebody else’s... we keep sharing things all the time. We also assemble this ourselves when it should be the job of the management.” Kamineni refuted these claims. “My understanding is that whether or not an athlete is in the TOP Scheme, the government gives all India athletes the necessary funds to buy their own equipment. I don’t know whether Viswash’s is a special case but this is the first time I’m hearing something like this.”
The 33-year-old said the government released Rs 2.5 lakh (including GST) two days before he flew out to Jakarta. “That money is still lying in my account. If they had given it before, I could have utilised it. And that is not enough, a proper set costs Rs 3-4 lakh. With Rs 2.5 lakh, I can only buy a used one.” The Pune-based archer, who won a bronze medal at the 2006 Asiad, returned to his main gripe one last time before walking away, disappointment etched all across his face. “We are being treated like second graders.”