Hockey players finally get an out-of-pocket allowance after years of waiting

Indian Hockey Players Finally Receive Out-of-Pocket Allowance

New Delhi: For years, India's national hockey players, both men and women, were surprisingly not entitled to an out-of-pocket allowance (OPA) under the government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). This oversight has now been rectified.

Indian Hockey team

Since the inception of TOPS in September 2014, athletes from other sports have benefited from monthly stipends, but hockey players were excluded. However, during a recent Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) meeting, this changed. The 156th governing council meeting of the MOC approved an OPA of Rs 25,000 per month for national campers of both men's and women's hockey teams, following a request from Hockey India (HI), the sport's national federation.

A total of 80 players (40 men and 40 women) in the developmental group of TOPS will now receive this allowance. Athletes in the core group of TOPS already receive a monthly stipend of Rs 50,000. According to a ministry official, this new allowance for hockey players will cost the government Rs 20 lakh per month.

“Hockey India requested the allowance some time ago, and we have agreed to their request. The players have performed well, and this allowance is based on merit," stated Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday. "The federation must submit a list of players to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) each month for fund disbursement."

The decision to grant OPA to the men’s team follows their consecutive bronze medals at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the subsequent Paris Games last year. The team also secured a gold medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. The women’s team achieved a commendable fourth-place finish in Tokyo. Currently, both teams are competing in the European leg of the FIH Pro League.

A ministry official also revealed that the MOC approved proposals worth Rs 4.28 crore from athletes, which includes Rs 1.38 crore in financial assistance for tennis players Saketh Myneni and Jeevan Nedu.