TOP scheme controversy: Gutta-Ashwini left out; drug-tainted athletes included

The Sports Ministry’s second list of 39 athletes that will receive financial support under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) has attracted criticism both for the players it has on the list and the players it has left off the list.

The Ministry has named five of the six women quarter-milers who were suspended for anti-doping rule violations between 2011 and 2013. They have also left off India’s No. 1 women’s doubles team in badminton – Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa.

These athletes will receive financial assistance for their preparations for the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympics. The scheme identifies athletes who are potential medal winners in the Olympics and provides financial support to them for preparation for the games.

All the new recommendations were made by the TOP Identification Committee, which is chaired by BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur, and includes India’s badminton coach Pullela Gopichand and Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra.

Six 400m runners - Priyanka Panwar, Ashwini Akkunji, Jauna Murmu, Sini Jose, Mandeep Kaur and Tiana Mary Thomas - were suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for two years. Three were part of the gold medal winning 4x400m relay teams in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

What is surprising is that Sini last competed in 2011 and the other four have not taken part in any competition in 2015, as reported by The Hindu _._

The Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) inclusion of these controversy ridden athletes is part of the sympathy-driven movement spread by the National federation that the experienced athletes can get a relay medal for the country in the Rio Olympics. The AFI has also got the approval to hire former relay coach Yuriy Ogorodnik, who was sacked following the doping scandal in 2011, ahead of the 2016 Olympics.

The ministry had earlier named 45 athletes who will get assistance under the flagship scheme of the sports ministry which has already given about Rs. 1.35 crores to ten athletes so far.

Meanwhile Gutta strongly criticised her former coach Gopichand for promoting players of his own academy players and ignoring others like her in this scheme.

“I had refrained from taking any names after the first list was announced,” Gutta told

DNA . “But now I have to really tell the world that there is only one person behind our exclusion from the TOPS list and that is Pullela Gopichand,” Gutta told dna from Sydney, adding, “Gopi has a personal grudge against me and that’s why he doesn’t want both of us. This is because I have always refused to massage his ego. My job is to perform for the country and not massage someone’s ego.”

Gutta also questioned the inclusion of RMV Gurusaidutt, one Gopi’s students. He has been allotted Rs 60 lakh to prepare for the Rio Games under this scheme. Gurusaidutt is ranked 68th in the world while Gutta and Ponnappa occupy the 18th spot in the doubles rankings.

As news of her exclusion spread, there was plenty of support for Gutta on Twitter.