Abhinav Bindra, the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics, has been presented with the Olympic Order in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Olympic Movement.
Speaking after receiving his award at the 142nd International Olympic Committee Session which concluded at Paris 2024 on Sunday, Bindra – who won the 10m air rifle men event at the Beijing 2008 Games – said as he stood alongside the IOC President Thomas Bach in front of the Olympic flag:
“When I was a young boy it was these Olympic rings that gave meaning to my life, and it was a privilege to be able to pursue my Olympic dream for over two decades.
“Post my athletic career it has been a great passion of mine to try and contribute back to the Olympic Movement. It’s been a privilege and an honour.
“This award only fuels that passion more and I hope to continue to work even harder and keep contributing to the Olympic Movement for the rest of my life.”
Bindra, 41, a member of the IOC Athletes Commission, is the first Indian to receive the Olympic Order, which is the highest award given by the IOC for meritorious services.
His gold in Beijing – coming four years after the disappointment of finishing seventh in the 10m air rifle final at the Athens 2004 Games - was India’s since the victory of the men’s hockey team at the 1980 Moscow Games.
Bindra’s achievement has sparked belief and enthusiasm throughout Indian sport in general – it was emulated at the Tokyo 2020 Games when another individual gold went to javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
Through the Abhinav Bindra Foundation, a non-profit initiative, athletes are provided access to the latest sports technology and high-performance physical training for free, and many athletes from sports such as swimming, badminton, boxing and para-athletics have benefited from the various programmes offered.
. In 2020 Bindra launched the Abhinav Bindra Sports Medicine and Research Institute at Bhubaneswar with the mission of bring global best practice to the Indian healthcare and sports medicine sector.
Since his retirement, Bindra 9pictured) has been involved with the TOP Scheme, one of India's most significant policies for athlete development. He was a member of the ISSF Athlete Committee from 2010 to 2020, serving as chair from 2014, and was appointed to the IOC Athlete Commission in 2018.
The decision to confer the award on Bindra was taken at the IOC Executive Board meeting in Paris on July 22.
Among those who wrote congratulatory messages to Bindra was Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.
"Congratulations to @Abhinav_Bindra on being awarded the Olympic Order for outstanding contributions to the Olympic Movement! His achievement fills us with pride and is truly well-deserved. His name alone has inspired generations of shooters and Olympians," Dr Mandaviya, who is also Minister of Labour and Employment, wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The official handle of IPL side Lucknow Super Giants also congratulated Bindra on getting the award.
"History-maker, once again, Congratulations Abhinav Bindra," said the post on X, which was accompanied by a photo of Bindra when he won India's maiden individual gold medal in men's 10mair rifle in Beijing 2008.
Read more about Bindra’s landmark Beijing victory here: https://www.issf-sports.org/news/4385