Abhinav Bindra Elected Chairman of International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Athletes Committee

 First Indian to Receive this Honour. Also Becomes Member of ISSF Administrative Council as a Result

New Delhi, October 30, 2014: Abhinav Bindra, ace shooter and the country’s only individual Olympic Gold medalist, has been elected Chairman of the International Shooting Sport Federation’s (ISSF) Athletes Committee. The ISSF, which is the world body representing the sport of shooting, confirmed this today in a letter, a copy of which was marked to the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the representative body of the sport in India. Abhinav, will be the first Indian shooter to be bestowed with this honour. By virtue of being Chairman of the Athletes Committee, Abhinav will also now become a member of the Administrative Council of the ISSF.

Reacting to the development, Abhinav Bindra said, “It is a great honour, not only for me personally but also for the country as a whole. Athletes make the sport come alive. As such, this honour comes with the great responsibility of representing the views and concerns of shooting athletes from across the globe appropriately, effectively and in a balanced manner towards the betterment of the sport, and I look forward to doing justice towards serving that end.”

The NRAI President, Raninder Singh, said, “ It is a matter of great pride for the whole Indian shooting fraternity that Abhinav has been elected to such a prestigious position. He has always been eager to do his bit for the athletes and the sport of shooting. He has also been very proactive within the NRAI itself in trying to raise the bar of Indian shooting continuously. We are confident that he will shine as always in this new responsibility as well and wish him all the very best.”

It can be recalled that Abhinav was re-elected member of the ISSF Athletes Committee in elections held last month in Granada, Spain for a second time.