Kolkata, March 5: India’s first individual Olympic Games champion, Abhinav Bindra today said athletes must be driven not just by outcomes but by values, joy of effort and purity of process. Speaking during a session titled ‘The story of medals and a changing values system’ in Trailblazers, India’s biggest sports conclave, he said it is important to win medals but there has to be a balance.
“It is important to have financial security but values are important. I don’t look back at medals but at relationships that I built during my careers. For instance, my relationship with my parents, coaches, and competitors is very important and of higher value than the outcome,” Abhinav Bindra said.
He said he looks at sport very differently now. “It taught me honesty, integrity and to deal with failure and conflicts. I am more proud of the process and the journey to the Olympic Games gold rather than the medal itself,” he said.
Devendra Jharjharia, winner of medals in multiple Paralympic Games, agreed with the Olympic Champion. “Sport taught me to live. It made me strong and I remember people calling me weak. The biggest lesson I learnt is to come back after a failure. Money in sports is good, but values of sport are very important,” he said. “Sports has come up a long way in India. Today, it gives me immense pride that after 19 years, Olympic and Paralympic athletes are treated equally.”
Abhinav Bindra pointed out that India must build a better culture of sports. “Out of 1.4 billion people, not many play sports. We need to build a culture of sports first to win more medals. The structure in sports at the grassroots level is very important. It’s important to create a sports culture which will get 1 per cent elite athletes,” he said.
“An athlete’s mindset is like a corporate mindset of being the best, where you need to have the adaptability and be prepared to change even when the going is good, which needs the courage to get the best result. One needs to come out of comfort zone in any walk of life,” Abhinav Bindra said.
Speaking of mental health, he said there is a misconception that athletes are immune to mental health issues. “There is a whole aspect of dealing with failure, travel, and injuries but also important to build a balance. It’s important to build a positive and psychologically safe environment for athletes where it’s alright to fail,” he said.