Jyothi Yarraji, Shaili Singh on European sojourn with aim to qualify for Paris Olympics
The Indian athletes will aim to breach qualification marks or gather crucial ranking points to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024
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India’s top hurdles sprinter Jyothi Yarraji will be competing in six international events in Europe, while long jumper Shaili Singh will be taking part in four international events as the duo aim to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.
The Indian athletes will aim to breach the qualification mark or gather crucial ranking points to be better equipped for the prestigious Olympics.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ (MYAS) Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), during their 134th meeting, approved the athletes’ proposals. The Indian track and field athletes’ financial assistance towards various competitions across Europe will be taken care of by the MOC.
The MOC, under their Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) funding, will cover the athletes’ airfare, visa charges, accommodation charges, local transport costs, medical insurance, physio charges and massage costs, among other expenditures.
Meanwhile, the MOC also approved the proposals of badminton players Kiran George, Ayush Shetty, and Rakshitha Sree to participate in various tournaments.
While Kiran will take part in the Malaysia Masters (BWF 500), Ayush has requested financial assistance to participate in the Thailand Open along with Malaysia Masters. Meanwhile, Rakshitha will head to Denmark to participate in the STATE Denmark Challenge followed by the Slovenia Open in Ljubljana.
The MOC also approved financial requests from Indian table tennis players Manav Thakkar and Archana Kamath for competing in the WTT Contender Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and the WTT Contender Mendoza, Argentina.
Besides foreign competitions, the MOC also approved a proposal from skeet shooter Anantjeet Singh Naruka to train in Italy with his personal coach Ennio Falco before the World Cup. Naruka will be training for a total of 20 days under his coach, with TOPS covering his coaching fees among other expenditures.
The MOC also inducted Indian badminton stars Ashwini Ponnappa, her doubles partner Tanisha Crasto, shooter Maheshwari Chauhan and rower Balraj Panwar into the TOPS core group ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024.
