Sportstar Focus Bihar Conclave | There is enough money in sports in India: Bindra

Beijing Olympics gold medallist and former shooter Abhinav Bindra said India needs a holistic approach that synergises sports with education to improve its Olympic success.

At the Fireside Chat during the Sportstar Focus Bihar Conclave in Patna on Sunday, speaking with Sportstar Editor, Ayon Sengupta and Raveendran Sankaran, Director General-cum-CEO, Bihar State Sports Authority, Bindra took the highlight away from the excitement of the prospect of hosting the Games to the groundwork needed to make these dreams possible.

“We are seeing early signs of the legacy of the bid. We had the National Governance Act enacted; it would not have been so quick otherwise.

“The funding has increased. There is enough money in sports in India. There is so much going into athlete training at the grassroots level. That has been accelerated due to the bid,” he noted.

“I will give you an example from the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, though. Norway won 41 medals. India has 41 medals across all Olympics.

“In Norway, sport in childhood should be inclusive, enjoyable, development-focused, and not selection-driven too early. In Denmark, for kids below 11, there are no rankings in sports.

“Sports performance can’t be a transaction. It is never going to be that you put in an amount of money and get a vending machine with assured returns. We are too focused on the top level right now, but until we have the base of the pyramid strong, which is not based on results, and getting kids active, we won’t be able to make a difference.”

He also underlined that development for an athlete needs to be more than just about sports.

“My worth is not dependent on that gold medal. I look back at the relationships I was able to build with my family, coaches, and competitors.

“I look back at what sports taught me, about failure and success, respecting outcomes, and dealing with internal conflict.

The Sportstar’s Focus Bihar Conclave is presented by the Bihar Sports Authority and Department of Sports, Government of Bihar. Indian Oil Corporation Limited is the associate sponsor and State Bank of India the banking partner.