In lecture at NITI Aayog, Bindra talks of need to create a sporting culture

New Delhi,
Celebrated shooter Abhinav Bindra today revealed that he always wanted to train in India for global sporting events, but the lack of infrastructure in the country forced him to look abroad for preparations.

“I always wanted to train in India, that was my plan ‘A’. But facilities were not good enough. So I had to switch to plan ‘B’ and train abroad. I had no option,” Bindra said while delivering a special lecture on ‘What it takes to become a champion’ at the NITI Aayog here.

The lecture was attended by NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya and CEO Amitabh Kant.

Bindra, India’s lone individual Olympics gold medallist, reckoned that the lack of grassroots development programmes and administrative red-tapism are ailing the country’s progress as a sporting nation. He also stressed on the need to provide ‘basic nutritional value’ to kids coming from rural areas and those who want to make it big in the field of sports.

“Basic nutrition, the raw material for our athletes, is lacking in India. We have to address this critical challenge. Our athletes are fighting unnecessary battles for access, choice and knowledge at the grassroots and attitude of red-tape. We need to avoid these things.”

“The athletes should have access to the best knowledge about coaching, technique, equipment, training and nutrition. These form the bedrock of the system that equalises the level-playing field. Those are the changes required to foster a high-performance culture in this country,” the five-time Olympian added.

Sporting culture
Bindra said that ‘culture, information and infrastructure’ are key ingredients to enable Indian athletes become the best version of themselves.

“We should aggressively work towards creating a sporting culture in the country, encourage weekend sporting activity rather than going for, say movies. We need to indulge in sporting activities. You don’t need to play competitively. And this has not happened,” he said.

“I tried to be perfect on an imperfect day. I trained rigorously under unfavourable circumstances and it worked for me. Adaptability, balance and hunger to succeed kept me going. I carved my own way and made my own goals. I didn’t let this hunger burn out. I now see a commitment to build a strong sports community in India. We need to convert knowledge to strategy,” he added.