Bindra says Rio is past, important to look ahead

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Sep 04 2016 | 7:07 PM IST
Heading the five-member review committee to probe the shooters' Rio Olympics debacle, Abhinav Bindra today said his sole interest lies in paving the way to a better future rather than looking back into the past.
The Beijing Games gold medallist recused himself from questioning the shooters as he was himself a part of the team.
"It's is a very big task especially because you can never break performance into black and white, there will always be grey and that's the nature of sport. I am the first to acknowledge that so I am not quite interested to look into the performance of the athletes and how prepared they were because that is the matter of past," said Bindra at his farewell organised by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
"I have actually recused myself from the whole interview process because I thought that would be unfair on my part because I was part of the same team. What I am personally more interested is to set up frameworks, systems and protocols which could perhaps helps us to govern sports, organise the sport of shooting and also the whole role of managing performance, monitoring performance and athlete preparation in a more systematic manner.
"And of course to achieve that and in order to come to conclusions the committee obviously has to look back into the past. We need to see what we have done and how we can better that. But I think in seeing how we can improve, I don't want to look into the past and see what's gone wrong. My interest just lies in seeing how we can do better."
The NRAI said the mandate of the committee is to "examine and identify in a cold and ruthless manner", the causes behind shooting drawing a blank at the Rio Games.
Asked about creating a pool for future Olympics, he said, "For 2020 I think we already know 70 percent of our athletes, 30 percent of the athletes may come up within this period. You need to work with them already. But you need to look beyond that pool because that pool perhaps will not be available to you in 2024."
On his personal performance in Rio where he missed the medal by a whisker, Bindra added: "I think fourth place was a great closure to my career.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Sep 04 2016 | 7:07 PM IST

Next Story