Abhinav Bindra led review panel find fault with NRAI for Rio 2016 debacle

Bindra 1
Abhinav Bindra led review panel find fault with NRAI. Image Source : tamiliantelevision.com

Internet Desk : Abhinav Bindra-led review committee has strongly criticized the under-performing shooters as well as coaches and the national federation (NRAI) for a flop show in Rio Olympics while recommending a systematic overhaul.

The four-member committee, which had former Asian Games gold-medallist tennis player Manisha Malhotra as convener, has come out with a damning 36-page report reviewing the performance.

The committee concluded that the consistent trickle of shooting medals since the 2004 Athens Games ended up making everyone involved in the sport complacent.

“Everyone took it for granted that there would be progress automatically, and forgot to ensure a systematic healthy process,” the report stated.

“To sum up the deliberations of the committee it can be said with no reservations that Indian Shooting ‘over achieved’ at the Rio Olympic Games. The formula for success was wrong and Indian Shooting had ridden its luck over the last few years, no doubt helped by some extremely talented shooters,” it added.

The committee was formed after none of the 12 Olympic-qualified Indian shooters managed to get a medal in Rio with Bindra’s fourth-place finish in 10m Air Rifle event being the best show.

“The committee was unanimous in its view that Indian shooting needs to change, change its attitude, its policies and practices, so that the booming talent gets a fair chance to flourish in a healthy atmosphere, and win all the medals that it can in the World Championships and the Olympics.

“The ‘chalta hai’ attitude that shadows Indian sport has to be stopped. The NRAI has to shed excess flab and needs to become a lean and mean fighting machine to ensure the implementation of a system that will churn out Champions. At present the system is adhoc. There is no systemic framework in place,” the committee pointed out.

The review report went on to dwell on individual performances, pointing out the laxities that ended up derailing a campaign that was built as India’s best medal hope in Rio.

Senior Olympians such as Gagan Narang, Heena Sidhu as well as rising star Ayonika Paul, all faced a strong criticism in the report.