Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra has resigned as government observer for shooting and chairman of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. Announcing this on Friday evening, citing a possible conflict of interest, Bindra requested to be relieved from these posts in a letter sent to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
“As I will now be involving myself more deeply in private projects, including the establishment and operation of 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 sanctity of these posts is fully retained.”
One of Bindra's TPCs has come up in partnership with the Sports Authority of India in Bengaluru last week.
Bindra is third top athlete to resign from the post of national observer, after boxer M.C. Mary Kom and wrestler Sushil Kumar. However, in the cases of these two Olympic medallists, there resignations came in after they returned to competitive sport this year.
Questions have been raised over the pace and direction in which the TOPS programme was heading.
Apart from these two posts, Bindra had also been chosen by the Prime Minister's Office to head the Olympic task force, which was set up in the aftermath of the Rio Olympics debacle, to advise on what is needed to prepare for the next three Olympics. The report was submitted months ago, but again, there is no word yet on the suggestions in the report.
