Of Rs 36 cr spent by govt, only 1.66% went to Rio medallists Sindhu, Sakshi
Mumbai: India’s poor medal haul at the 2016 Rio Olympics have caused quite a stir in with the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Now, media reports claim that very little of the amount spent by the government on the athletes, actually translated into medals.
According to a report in The Indian Express, only 1.66 per cent (Rs61.13 lakhs) of the total amount spent on athletes (Rs36.85 crores) via the Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) went to the two medals winners PV Sindhu (badminton) and Sakshi Malik (wrestling).
A large amount of money was spent on the women’s relay squad, which received Rs2.94 crores. Sadly however, the Indian relay runners finished second last in their heat, failing to even qualify for the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Rs7.8 crore was doled out to 30 out of 36 athletes, who participated in various athletics events, where India never had any realistic expectation of winning medals.
The largest amount of money, however, was received by the Indian shooting contingent (Rs15.39 crore), which also failed to yield any medals.
A large amount was also distributed to inured medal hopefuls like Vikas Gowda (discus throw), Saina Nehwal (badminton), and Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestling). However, the trio was carrying injuries during the month-long tournament, which in turn affected their performance.
Around Rs90.49 lakhs was also spent on wrestler Narsingh Yadav, who was barred from participating in the tournament, as he tested positive for a banned substance.
However, progress on the field of sports cannot be quantified by the amount of money spent, and the number of medals won. The Indian government has spent a total of Rs750 crore ($111 million) on sports over the last year, which includes money given to athletes (for training, travel, and hiring coaching staff), and funds directed towards the different sports federations.
When put in perspective though, that amount is not even nearly enough, when compared to what other countries like Great Britain ($350 million), and Australia ($332 million) have spent on their athletes, in the last four years.
