Bindra calls for improvement in athlete support system

Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra has called for improvement in the professional support system of the athletes so that India keeps winning a big haul of medals and producing a continuous line of top performers.

Speaking at Excellence in Learning and Mastering of Sports and Physical Literacy (ELMS) Foundation here, Bindra said: "Indian sports have come a long way. But there is still much distance to travel. Until we address and improve the overall depth of professional support of our athletes, we will not have the consistency that is needed to keep on replacing the top athletes."

"I wonder what results can be produced if we introduce and groom our most talented youngsters systematically in a scientific and professional manner. While I have achieved my dreams and have been successful in my own sporting career, I now have new dreams and wish to empower the next generation of talents in a meaningful and sustainable way," said Bindra.

The event was also attended by former badminton player and coach Pullela Gopichand and Minister of State (MoS) Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

Bindra stressed that all National Sports Federations (NSFs) need to have a professional set-up and should appoint a High-Performance Manager (HPM).

"We want to develop the best minds in the world regarding the aspects of physical literacy, sports performance, administration, and management. We intend to train high-performance managers," added Bindra.

The Beijing Olympic gold medalist also mentioned that the sports federations would empower the HPMs. They would be doing short-term courses and would intern with top sports organizations in the world for some months.

Talking about HPMs, Bindra said: "One of the recommendations of the committee is to draft the National Sports Code (NSC), of which I am a member. I will mandate each of the NSFs to have an HPM on its staff. The results of a particular sport achieved will be directly proportional to the quality of the person who is appointed a HPM," Bindra added.

"A High-Performance Manager is someone who has an intrinsic deep knowledge of sports. They will oversee the whole sport in a result-oriented mindset. They are not bound to one sport and can seamlessly move and develop different sports," concluded the Beijing Olympics gold medalist.

Bindra also explained that the draft code is yet to be notified and will be done soon with consultation with all the NSFs.

He also said that the country needs those HPMs, who has gained a world perspective of sports and can improve the situation in India.