Sports Ministry teams up with Abhinav Bindra foundation, grants Rs 5 crore

New Delhi: The Sports Ministry, while disbursing a financial assistance of Rs 5 crore, on Friday teamed up with the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT) to operate a high performance sports facility in Bengaluru.

The amount is aimed at purchasing state-of-the-art sports science equipments and establish a high-performance centre for athletes' rehabilitation, fitness-training and sports science.

Athletes selected for national camps will be allowed to use the facilities at the Bengaluru-based centre free of cost. The aid has been given from the National Sports Development Fund.

"Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India has granted a financial assistance of up to Rs 5 crore only from the National Sports Development Fund to Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT) to purchase certain state-of-the-art sports science equipments to establish and operate a high-performance facility for rehabilitation, fitness-training and sports science at the Centre at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, Bengaluru," a Sports Ministry release uploaded on PIB website stated.

"The Facility will be named as the 'Sports Authority of India (SAI)-Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance Centre'," it further added.

Interestingly, Olympic champion Bindra, at the moment, is wearing many hats in the Indian sporting firmament.

Bindra chairs the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme, a 10-member panel that was announced by the ministry in January.

Bindra is also a part of the eight-member Task Force of the ministry, which will draw up an action plan for the next three Olympic Games.

He is also a part of the Sports Code committee besides being the national observer for shooting.

The ministry further stated, "Indian athletes who are selected for training in Indian national camps shall utilise the equipment and services at the centre free of cost."

An agreement to this effect was signed between Sports Authority of India (SAI) DDG Sandip Pradhan and Bindra in the presence of sports minister Rajyavardhan Rathore and Injeti Srinivas, sports secretary and DG SAI.

Rathore said he was "pleased" with the development.

"Glad to announce that @IndiaSports hs teamed w/ @Abhinav_Bindra Found'n Trust to operate a high performance sports facility in B'luru," the newly-appointed sports minister Rathore wrote on his twitter handle.

The Athens Olympics silver medallist added, "I am particularly pleased to say that Indian athletes selected for national camps will utilise facilities at this centre free of cost."