Abhinav Bindra on Asianet News 'Samvad': 'Athletes are not super-humans, they are immune too'

When it comes to an athlete in the modern-day, the prime thing one focuses on is if they are capable of winning, whereas their performance comes secondary. While some pressurise the athlete to come up with a winning result and work more hard on the same, one forgets the toll it takes on them, physically and mentally, whereas the latter is often ignored. The likes of world-class athletes like Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, Ben Stokes and many others have opened up on mental health aspects, which have affected their careers of late. In the same light, Indian shooter and Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra has spoken on the same in an exclusive interaction on Asianet News's 'Samvad'.

Is there a long way to go about increasing awareness about mental health for athletes?
"I think an athlete's life has been de-humanised over the last few years. There has been a big misconception that athletes are superhuman and can deal with any mental health issue. But on the other hand, an athlete's life is full of insecurities and perhaps has more red flags. There is a constant dealing with pressure, winning, and physiological load in terms of training. And, if you don't recover well enough, it can hurt the mental aspects."

"There are injuries an athlete has to deal with, both physical and mental. The pressure is immense, as there is an impending end to an athlete's career, while it is complicated for most athletes to transition out of sports. But, the bottom line is that we must ensure that the environment is not toxic. Unfortunately, many environments across the world have become toxic."

"They have made winning too big, pushing the athletes more and more, de-humanising them. Unless you put human well-being at the heart and centre of the performance, you will never attain sustainable success. Only when you start to prioritise the human element of the athlete, that is when you will prevent mental health issues."

ALSO READ: ABHINAV BINDRA ON ASIANET NEWS 'SAMVAD': 'WINNING IS CRUCIAL, BUT NOT THE ONLY THING'

Some popular sports have been dropped from Commonwealth Games 2022, leading to IOA launching protests. Your take on it?
"Obviously, I would like to see all sports represented at the CWG. We have historically done well in the sports that have been a part of the CWG. But it is about making sure that your sport fits into a realm of things, whether there has to be some lobbying done by the world body. It is not that you draft a letter or an e-mail to the body, and the sports would be included, or the Games would be held in another continent."

"The idea of hosting the Games in India [to include the sports left out] was never going to be sustainable. I knew from Day 1 that it was just showmanship. You have to ensure that your sport remains well above. Even if you look at the Olympic program, many urban sports are making it to the Olympics."

"You must ensure that the sport remains valuable and sustainable in terms of costs and environmental sustainability. And, if you ensure that, then the sport is strong enough, and there will be no questions asked. I think a lot of work needs to be done in that direction. Sending out e-mails about protests and boycotting the Games won't help."

ALSO READ: International Olympic Day 2022: Abhinav Bindra to Neeraj Chopra - A look at all medalists from India

Moving on to the fun part of the interview:
Most embarrassing moment
"I have had many embarrassing moments and even in my sports career. Hard to remember any, but I learned to laugh at myself during my sports career continually. It is something that my coaches taught me - the ability to laugh at yourself."

"One of the embarrassing moments was when I reached the final of significant competition, and I forgot to take my ammunition. So, I went to the firing line without bullets and had to ask my neighbour for some."

Worst joke ever cracked
"I had only good jokes. My jokes are not bad. I cannot share a joke with you instantly. I am not a comedian."

First and favourite crush
"Sports. It is. It has to be. Why do you think I was involved in sports for 22 years? I certainly loved it."

ALSO READ: Olympic Values Education Programme launched across India, inaugural project in Odisha

The craziest thing tried before the Beijing Olympics gold
"I went to a commando training three days before boarding my flight, and it was a crazy thing to do because the chances of getting injured were more than 70%. I still took that risk, and it was worth taking because it became an important aspect of my preparations."

Will there be songs and dances in your biopic?
"I'm not producing the film. I have only sold the rights of my book to Mr. [Harshvardhan] Kapoor. One of the reasons why it hasn't been made so far is because I don't sign on for such nonsense. I don't think there would be songs and dances. It will undoubtedly be a loosely adapted version of my autobiography."

The best advice received between Athens and Beijing
"To learn how to detach some outcomes. But also a piece of advice imbibed through learning. When I went to Athens, I was very attached to winning, which was very important for me, along with the outcome. And, when I went to Beijing, I was very detached from the outcome. I was more attached to the process."

If not a shooter, what would you have become?
"A lawyer."

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