The Mission Olympic Cell met on Tuesday, December 29 for clearing financial proposals of athletes who are a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. Bhavina Patel, a Para Table Tennis player belonging to Gujarat who was included in the TOPS Scheme in November 2020 had financial proposals of Rs. 7.04 Lakhs sanctioned by the committee. Patel is ranked 8th in the world and by virtue of her current world ranking is well positioned to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics and thus become the first Indian to do so in the sport of Para Table Tennis.
Patel’s requests for the following specialised equipment were sanctioned by the committee:
i) Table Tennis Wheelchair
ii) Robot: Butterfly Amicus Prime
iii) Wheelchair Table Tennis Table
Patel participates in the F4 category of Para Table Tennis.