Boxing, wrestling, archery to have four tournaments per year and each of them will carry Rs5 crores as prize money
In a major boost for archers, boxers and wrestlers, the ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs has decided to organize a National Prize Money Tournament Circuit (NPMC) starting from this year.
During the circuit, each discipline will have four tournaments per year and will carry a staggering prize money of Rs5 crores, which is much more when compared to the amount that the athletes receive during the national championships of the respective games.
Top eight ranked national players (in each weight category of boxing and wrestling) will be invited to compete in both men’s senior and junior and women’s senior and junior categories in each tournament to be organized in the four zones of the country.
“This is an effort to create a system of incentives for players and also improve the bench strength in these sports. We will finalise the dates very soon. In the beginning, we have decided to include these games because they don’t have a league as of now and we will include more sports in the future. In the three disciplines, we have been winning medals and are expected to do well in coming games as well,” Ajit K Sharon, secretary of the ministry said on Monday, on the sidelines of an event at Sonepat in Haryana where a new swimming pool was inaugurated at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre.
Elaborating on the project, Shanon added that the funding for the events had already been approved and a plan was in place.
“The funding will come from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) and its executive committee has already approved of it. It has been planned that the federations with the cooperation of the SAI will be responsible for conducting and providing technical support to it.
“As for the expected timeframe is concerned, we will ensure that the dates don’t clash with the national camps and the international tournaments. Archery will not feature in the Commonwealth Games so it may start early and for the other two games, the circuit could begin once the CWG and Asian Games are over.”
No shortage of funds
Sharon also rebuffed the reports carried out by some agencies of shortage of funds, saying that the ministry was not short of funds and will spend money prudently for the preparations for the upcoming CWG and Asian Games.
“All these reports are baseless. We have been funded well on our medal prospects. There is no shortage of money. If someone has no chance of winning a medal and asks for abroad training, we are not in favour of such things,” he clarified