NEW DELHI: National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) President Digvijay Singh on Thursday described India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and Asian gold medallist Jaspal Rana as “ungrateful” for not acknowledging the system’s contribution to their success.
The NRAI President said the success of Bindra and Rana had been possible due to the system set up by the Indian shooting federation but it seems to have gone to their heads and their statements betray arrogance. “The success of shooters like Abhinav Bindra and Jaspal Rana has been possible due to the system set up by the Indian shooting federation...If they do not acknowledge the fact, then they are ungrateful... success seems to have gone to their heads,” Singh told NDTV.
Strongly reacting to the remarks of the NRAI Chairman, Asian Games gold medallist Jaspal Rana said the present system could not produce champions.
“Present system cannot produce champions... no one from the federation has even bothered to find out why I am not practising,” he said. Abhinav’s father AS Bindra also lashed out at the governing body, saying shooters had to spend money from their pocket to buy ammunition and practise. He also demanded that the NRAI reveal their accounts to show how the money is spent.
‘Give credit to SFI’
Suresh Kalmadi said Abhinav Bindra’s father was not the only person behind the shooter’s Olympic success and the national federation should also be given credit for the gold medal in Beijing. “No doubt Abhinav’s father has played an important role in his winning the gold medal, but the contribution of Shooting Federation of India (SFI) cannot be denied,” he said.
