BY ABHINAV BINDRA
There is excitement in the air as we draw closer to the start of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. From an Indian perspective, we are seeing a tremendous momentum in how athletes are now prepared and in the day-to-day running of an athlete’s life. The governance has seen an improvement and the results are already there to see.
For example, never before have so many Indians got to the Olympic Games as favourites because they are among the world’s best in rankings. India has the chance to record a historic performance as there has been a method to preparation. Even the handling of the pandemic situation has been good with all concerned showing a proactive approach.
If you had gone 15 or 20 years back in time, we may not have reacted with the same nimbleness that we have seen now. Even in terms of resource allocation, I think in some sports, we have the most prepared teams in the world. I do not think there is another shooting team which has had access to the type of financial and other resources made available to them.
That said, it is important for everyone to remember that the Olympic movement is much more than a sporting competition. The values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect make the athletes special. In trying to win a medal, we are not representing ourselves. We are ambassadors of our country and of Olympism. For, nothing else has as much power as sport.
In sport, we learn how to win but, more importantly, how to lose. We learn to follow rules as well as honesty and integrity. We learn to have a goal and to work hard to attain it. Interestingly, and it is unique to sport, we learn how to listen and value other perspectives. Today’s society does not listen enough to other points of view, let alone hear them with respect and friendship.
For athletes, it is about continuing to lead a life in which one keeps the values of sport, and these values of Olympism, true to yourself because the life lessons you learn from sport are absolutely invaluable and so relevant to society. The medals are fantastic but the real power of sport goes beyond the outcome in a sports competition to its influence on society at large.
A wonderful example and one close to my heart, is the Refugee Project that I am doing with former Italian shooter and triple Olympic champion Nicolo Campriani. The lives of the shooters who will compete in Tokyo 2020 have already been transformed — from distraught, sad human beings to athletes — with a sparkle in their eyes and a goal. You can say they found refuge in life through sport.
Reverting thoughts to the present Indian campaign, someone suggested to me that the Olympic Task Force, established in the wake of Rio 2016, is a defining moment that helped the Indian contingent be well prepared. I would always give the credit to the athlete, though I believe 2016 was an interesting moment. As I said before, a lot of work has gone into the last four years, even before probably.
A lot of good things have happened and we are perfecting our systems. As in sport, we have to always try and be better than who we were the previous day. There have certainly been a number of positives in the last few years. The sense of collaboration that we are seeing is what will take us farther in the years to come.
(Abhinav Bindra, a champion shooter, is India’s only individual Olympic gold medal winner in Men’s 10 metre air rifle at Beijing, 2008).