Maharashtra aims to win 20 medals in 2020 Olympics

The state has aimed to spend around Rs35 crore in four years on 39 players across 14 games including archery, wrestling, hockey, and athletics, among others.

The Maharashtra government, determined to increase the number of Olympic medals won by state athletes, has set a target of 20 medals and has chalked out Mission Olympic 2020 by making a sizable allocation of funds.

The first instalment of the financial assistance to the shortlisted 39 players was released by the government recently.

The state has aimed to spend around Rs35 crore in four years on 39 players across 14 games including archery, wrestling, hockey, and athletics, among others. The players have been given financial assistance ranging between Rs5 lakh and Rs1 lakh per annum, depending on the number of medals they have won at the national and international level.

“The committee of officers from the sports department and experts from various games fine tuned the policy to achieve the objective of the mission. We held brainstorming sessions with players, their coaches and experts to understand the type of help and assistance required. We will review the performance of the players quarterly to ensure that they improve their performance till Olympics 2020. The 39 players were finalised from the list of 61 players shortlisted last year,” said Narendra Sopal, joint director, sports commissionerate.

Besides individual financial assistance to players, the government has also planned to spend a sizable sum to upgrade the Sports Science Centre in, Pune.