New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS): Inclusion of national elite athletes in the core group of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for the next Olympic cycle is being discussed with National Sporting Federations by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) ahead of the meeting scheduled in October to finalise the fresh list of athletes in the TOPS core group.

TOPS has been the key scheme in extending personalised support to athletes for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics and will be supporting athletes in the next Olympic cycle as well.

"The Core Group list, which was dissolved at the end of the Olympics and Paralympics, will be drawn up again at a meeting which will have representatives from national sports federations and the Indian Olympic Association as its members.

"Following the finalization of the list of TOPS Core Group athletes, all support will be extended to the selected athletes, as per the norms of the TOP Scheme," SAI said in a statement on Wednesday.

It is also expected that some of the athletes who are in the Developmental Group of TOPS and are training for Olympics 2024 and 2028 will also be considered for inclusion in the Core Group, it said.