C A Bhavani Devi (Twitter)
The Fencer’s international training camp in France has been approved for a period of eight months and multiple short-period training camps in Georgia, Turkey and Algeria have also been cleared.
Indian fencer Bhavani Devi’s proposal to continue her training at Bauer Fencing Academy, Orleans, France has been approved by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS)’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC).
Bhavani, who has been training under French coach Christian Bauer, recently won the Bronze Medal in the Women’s Sabre event of the Asian Championships, and become the first-ever Indian to do so in the process.
Her international training camp for France has been approved for a period of eight months and will cover her training camp cost, airfare, boarding and lodging costs, local transportation cost, physiotherapy and massage sessions, training fee, license fee and insurance costs among other expenditures.
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MOC also cleared Bhavani’s multiple short-period training camps in Georgia, Turkey and Algeria along with the cost to cover her participation in Sabre World Cup in Algeria, Grand Prix in France, Grand Prix in Tunisia, Sabre World Cup in Lima, Peru, Sabre World Cup in Athens and Sabre World Cup in Belgium.
For all these events Bhavani’s airfare, boarding/lodging cost, local transportation charges, OPA and Visa fee would be covered by the government under Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) funding, with the total amounting to Rs 34,36,000 approximately.
During the meeting, MOC also cleared pistol shooter Anish’s proposal to train under foreign coach Mr. Ralf Schumann in Suhl, Germany for 15 days and Table Tennis player Archana Kamath’s proposal to compete in WTT Contender – Rio De Janeiro, WTT Contender Almaty Kazakhstan and WTT Contender Muscat Oman.
