Bindra's words: Olympic spirit & social change

Here is nothing that unifies more than sport and brings joy to people's faces — Abhinav Bindra.

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HERE is nothing that unifies more than sport and brings joy to people's faces — Abhinav Bindra.

These words encapsulate the power of sport succinctly. Just a couple of days before the Olympic Games (June 23), Bindra spoke about Olympism, the Olympic Education Programme, and the Let's Move campaign—collaborative initiatives that schools have led to social change. Some of the children have taken flights for the first time in their lives. A few even went to Lausanne. The gold medal at the Beijing Olympics changed Bindra's life. Sport has, as he acknowledges, been his life and given him everything. This is a small way to give back to society, and in the context, India and the world.

The VEP is one such vehicle that's created a new ecosystem across government in Odisha and Assam. He's passionate while describing the nuances of the programme that was launched four years ago in Odisha. It started as a programme focused on Olympism and sportsmanship, but Bindra says it brought about not just social but behavioral changes in students and even the parents. For the uninitiated, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) initiative communicates the long-term benefits of sport and physical activity, and an understanding of Olympism and its impact on individual health, environment, and social inclusion.