Abhinav Bindra elected chairman of ISSF Athletes Committee

The country's only individual Olympic gold medallist, Abhinav Bindra, has been elected chairman of International Shooting Sport Federation's (ISSF) Athletes Committee, becoming the first Indian to receive the honour.

The ISSF, which is the world body representing the sport of shooting, confirmed this on Thursday 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.

The 32-year-old Bindra is the first Indian shooter to be bestowed with the honour. By virtue of being chairman of the Athletes Committee, Bindra will also become a member of the Administrative Council of the ISSF.

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."

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