During his passionate speech at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters on Wednesday,Abhinav Bindra unleashed a veiled attack on the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The Beijing Olympics gold medallist didn’t shy away from comparing the IOA officials to postmen and highlighted the trust deficit that exists between the sportspersons and officials.
Bindra couldn’t have chosen a better platform to point out what the truth was. Ironically,almost at the same time as Bindra was making his speech in Lausanne,Rajya Vardhan Singh Rathore found himself locked in a bitter battle with the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) back home. A report claiming Rathore had flunked a dope test nine years ago,was dug out of the dead suspiciously. The Athens Games silver medallist was quick to trade his gun on the NRAI,saying he was a victim of vendetta. Talk about athletes and lack of trust among the officials! To borrow a shooting term,Bindra had scored perfect 10 with his words.
If the IOA is serious about the reforms it has pledged during the meeting with the IOC,its challenge will be to win back the trust of the players. As the IOC had pointed out earlier,it’s not just the constitution that the IOA has to change,they need to renew their attitude towards the Olympic movement as well.
Mihir is a senior correspondent based in Mumbai.
mihir.vasavda@expressindia.com
