Boria Majumdar in Paris
Abhinav Bindra is a legend of Indian sport. And now, he has been bestowed with the Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the highest honour in the Olympic movement. Also, he ran with the torch on Wednesday, an experience he called humbling. He spoke to Boria Majumdar, RevSportz’s editor-in-chief, about the experience. Extracts.
Boria: Thousands cheered you as you ran with the torch. Tell me about the experience?
Bindra: It was humbling to be honest. It was a huge honour for me to be asked to run with the torch here in Paris. I was invited to do so long back, during the Beijing Winter Games, but I couldn’t make it. I did run in Delhi ahead of Beijing, but because of the Tibet issue, there weren’t many people. Here, it was different. There were thousands of people, including kids and elders, cheering you on and you could just feel the incredible thing that the Olympic movement is. At a time when the world isn’t the best place, the Olympics is the best thing to happen to the world.
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Boria: Also, you have been bestowed with the Olympic Order. It is a huge, huge honour and you are the youngest Indian athlete [to get it].
Bindra: Yes, I have been humbled by it. It is the highest honour of the IOC and you feel that your work is being recognised and rewarded. I have dedicated my life to sport and to Olympism. And it is not just about winning medals. The media portray us as such. But there is much more to us. I have tried to make a difference to society. With the Olympics Values Education Programme (OVEP), for example, 60,000 schools are now part of it. Lakhs of students will have a better life. We are making a difference to the environment, and that’s what it is about. Using the prism of sport, it makes a difference to society. To see the effort get recognised is humbling.
Boria: Your thoughts on Paris, please, with the opening ceremony upon us?
Bindra: It will be a superb games. For the first time, the world is coming together post-Covid, 206 national Olympic committees and one refugee team. You will see smiles on the faces of people. It is just going to be an incredible spectacle.
Boria: Finally, a word on what you were feeling when you were running with the torch?
Bindra: It was just a very special feeling. You just felt it is a reward for all you believe in and stand for. It was a moment I will forever remember, you know, and to see so many people on both sides of the road cheering for you was special. Even when we were on the bus and on the way, the excitement was palpable. That’s what you want to see in the world. Something that unites and gets us all together, and makes us believe it can be a better society.
Boria: And the Indian effort should be the best as well. We have already had a very good start with archery.
Bindra: The athletes have had the best preparation. The government has done everything and I can tell you we should win the best medal haul we have ever had. I am very upbeat about our chances, and I think it can be a sporting revolution of sorts. I wish the athletes all the very best, and think they will do extremely well here in Paris.