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XtraTime Web Desk: World and Olympic champions’ shooters Niccolo Campriani and Abhinav Bindra have faced many challenges in their life, in their fabulous sporting career. The duo are quite excited and heartily engaging themselves in a more challenging task of helping three war survivors Mahdi, Khaoula and Luna prepare for the Tokyo Olympics. Three-time Olympic champion Campriani started the project and Bindra opted to support on hearing about the venture.

Addressing a worldwide media conference on the web, Campriani and Bindra talked about the five-part video series, Taking Refuge, shot by the Olympic Channel and the way they had been preparing the three for competitions.

Having joined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne after the Rio Olympics, where he won the gold in both the air rifle and rifle 3-position events, Campriani had used the Archery Centre to train the selected athletes. After the postponement of the Games, he has shifted them to another centre, to help them train with other shooters. He has also borrowed his own rifle donated to the Olympic museum for use, till the Games.

Mahdi and Khaoula also had the experience of training in Bengaluru with some of the best Indian shooters, and got to use the high performance equipment at the Abhinav Bindra Centre.
According to Abhinav, ‘’Seeing the resolve, determination and commitment, I volunteered to help.”

Campriani said that it was much more than giving the new shooters a chance to compete in the Olympics. The Italian shooter also added that providing the mental support through experts would help them both in their sport and life.

With only 10 or 20 likely to compete under the IOC banner as the refugee team, from among 50 on scholarship, there was no guarantee for a berth in the Olympics, but Campriani said that they were enjoying the journey.

‘’They are training well to reach a competitive level. They have one more year to train’’, Campriani said.
‘’They are the best prepared athletes in terms of media training, as they have faced camera so much’’, said Bindra on a lighter note.
Despite all the success, Campriani said that, ‘’your last shot in the Olympics is not going to define who you are. Sport is not the only thing in life’’.

‘’It is interesting to see my sport through their eyes’’, summed up Campriani, about the fascinating journey of becoming Olympic athletes in such a short span.