Abhinav Bindra Rules Out Contesting Indian Olympic Association Elections

Country's first individual Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra on Friday ruled out the possibility of contesting for a position in Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Executive Board, saying that he is not interested. Bindra is one of the 80 former players on the roster of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs) out of which eight will be selected on November 9. The eight will have voting rights and would be eligible to contest the IOA elections scheduled for December 5. In the last edition, an SOM -- PT Usha -- went on to become the IOA president. Out of the eight two will be part of the all important Executive Council of 15.

But Bindra, who won the 10m air rifle gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said he is not interested in any executive position.

"No, I don't think so. No," replied Bindra when asked about whether he has any intentions to contest in IOA elections.

Bindra's comments came on the sidelines of 'Agrasar Bharat Manch 2026' conclave organised by KPMG, one of the world's leading accounting and professional services networks.

Apart from Bindra, current IOA chief PT Usha, Beijing bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh, London Olympic medallists shooter Gagan Narang, wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and badminton legend Saina Nehwal are part of the approved SOM roster.

Former World Championships medallist Anju Bobby George, former Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla, archer Dola Banerjee too would be contesting the election. There are 10 names in the reserves in each category.

Bindra said the Indian athletes did a very good job at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by finishing fourth in the overall standings, but couldn't better last edition's medal tally.

India finished with 85 medals, which includes 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. In the previous edition in Hangzhou, India bagged 107 medals -- 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze.

"We did well. As always, there are ups and downs in sport, and there were some hits and there were some misses, but that's sport. But overall, there were some inspiring performances, there were some disappointments, but that is what sport is all about.

"It is about learning from them, about trying to get better the next time around. But again, now that those Games are over, it's time to reflect for the athletes on what went well, what they could have done better, and hopefully that will help them prepare better for the for the Games in LA coming up in two years."

India also finished the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with its best-ever continental campaign, winning a total of 114 medals (30 gold, 35 silver, and 49 bronze).

"What our athletes (para) have done, it's incredible. They continue to bring so much pride to India. Recorded our all-time best at the at the Asian Para Games, and it's so inspiring, each of those athletes are so inspiring. They inspire me every day, and my heartiest congratulations to each one of them," Bindra said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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