FISU WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 - Sports)

Context:  India has won a total of 23 medals across 4 disciplines with highest medal count coming from shooting which has won India 14 medals including 8 Gold medals at the halfway mark of the ongoing World University Games(3rd August). 

• Out of these 23 medals, 14 medals have come from Khelo India Athletes, while all medals in Shooting (14) have been won by Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Athletes and India's highest medal count by an individual (4, including 3 Gold) coming from TOPS Shooter.

FISU World University Games

• The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). 
• The former name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad".

Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)

• About: Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme was formulated in 2014 under overall ambit of National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) with the aim to identify, groom and prepare potential medal prospects for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

• It was particularly launched for India’s Olympic medal dream, at the 2016 (Rio) and 2020 (Tokyo) Olympics.

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) 

• Monthly stipend: It includes foreign training, international competition, equipment, and coaching camp besides a monthly stipend of Rs. 50,000/- for each athlete.

• High priority category: It has been created to put focus on those sports disciplines played in the Olympics in which India has won medals in the last conducted Asian Games as well as Commonwealth Games or in which India has a good chance of winning medals.

• Mission Olympic Cell: The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) is a dedicated body created to assist the athletes who are selected under the TOP Scheme.

• Chairman: The MOC is under the Chairmanship of the Director-General, Sports Authority of India (DG, SAI).

• Objective: The idea of the MOC is to debate, discuss and decide the processes and methods so that the athlete receives the best assistance.

• Function: The MOC focuses on the selection, exclusion, and retention of athletes, coaches, training institutes that can receive TOPS assistance.

• National Sports Development Fund (NSDF): It was established in November, 1998 under Charitable Endowments Act, 1890 with the aim of promotion of sports and games in the country.