CHENNAI: ABHINAV Bindra stepped down as chairman of the TOP Identification Committee on Friday. He announced his decision through a letter to Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Bindra, who rose to superstardom following his gold at the Beijing Olympics, also resigned from his post as a national observer. He said that he’d taken this step to avoid any potential conflict of interest, going forward. “As I will now be involving myself more deeply in private projects, including the establishment and operation of the Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance Centres across the country, I believe there could be a potential conflict of interest between these positions as more athletes start training at these Centres.
“I therefore sincerely request you to relieve me of these two posts so that any potential conflict of interest can be avoided before it arises and the sanctity of these posts is fully retained.” Nevertheless, he said that he would “remain at the Ministry’s disposal and be available for any and all future assistance”. Bindra had opened the Bengaluru chapter of his academy last Saturday. It will become fully functional on January 1, 2018.
Interestingly, Bindra’s resignation is the third such by a national observer over the last month. Both MC Mary Kom and Sushil Kumar — as they were active athletes — stepped down. It will be interesting to see if and when the Sports Ministry decides to plug these vacancies as two important multi-discipline events — Asian Games and Commonwealth Games — are coming up.