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In a significant push to strengthen India's combat sports pipeline, the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) has given a go-ahead to customised international exposure and coaching support for athletes in taekwondo and karate, ahead of the Asian Games 2026, according to a release.
In taekwondo, Rodali Barua has been backed for participation in five international competitions - Bulgaria Open 2026, Slovenia Open 2026, Dutch Open 2026, Oceania Championships 2026 - which are G2 level competitions as recognised by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). She is also scheduled to participate in the fourth Mount Everest International Open Taekwondo Championship in Nepal, 2026, a G1-level tournament. The Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) has recommended the proposals for a financial amount of Rs 21.20 Lakh and the tourneys are scheduled over the months of February and March for Barua, who has been a bronze medalist at the President's Cup, Oceania Region, Gold Coast, in 2025. Another taekwondo athlete, Rupa Bayor, has been supported under the TAGG Scheme for a Physiotherapy, Masseur, and Strength & Conditioning (S&C) Programme for a period of nine months until September 2026. She is currently ranked 6th in the World and 1st in Asia. The recommendations have been accepted ensuring consistent tactical and technical support during the competition cycle. In Karate, the MOC approval for support was put forward to Bhuvneshwari Jadhav over participating in three international competitions along with a structured training programme. The competitions are scheduled to be held in Rome (11th-16th March 2026), China (8th-13th April 2026), and Spain (22nd-27th April 2026). She will also participate in a training program under foreign coach Sulaymon Sharifovich, scheduled to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in March. The total financial assistance put forward is Rs. 20.12 Lakh, which also includes support for her coach Keerthan Kondru, and a Sparring Partner. Financial Assistance for another Karate athlete, Alisha and her coach Vikas, has also been sanctioned under TAGG for 2 competitions -- in Rome (11th-16th March 2026) and China (8th-13th April 2026). The total monetary value recommended is Rs. 5.94 Lakh. Both Bhuvneshwari and Alisha had won bronze medals at the 2025 Asian Championship held in Uzbekistan. The recommendations for the combat sports of Taekwondo and Karate were part of the deliberations during the 168th Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) meeting, where athlete-specific proposals were assessed based on recent performances, future potential and international competitiveness. Multiple athlete proposals were accepted for an overall Rs 1.70 crore. Other athlete proposals accepted included financial assistance for Squash star Anahat Singh's strength and conditioning coach, an extension of off-season training camp for Neeraj Chopra till April 2026 in Pretoria as well as foreign exposure camps for para-athletes Varun Bhati and Sandeep Chaudhary. (ANI)
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