‘Sport of Life’ to raise awareness about sports injuries; provide better treatment

Are champions born? Abhinav Bindra, the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal, would say an emphatic ‘No’.

“All my life, shooting has really been a struggle. My journey to the Olympic gold medal was made possible by many crucial things coming together. The medal is often received for a couple of hours of shooting. For me, it was not the moment of victory that mattered. More than those two hours, it took me 22 years, five Olympic games, three Olympic finals, 250 international flights at least, lots and lots of moments of saying ‘I can’t do this', many days of defeat, hundreds of technical changes, many tastes of defeat, four to five nervous vomits minimum... It has been an internal struggle,’’ Bindra said at the launch of ‘Sport of Life’, an initiative by Healtium in collaboration with Abhinav Bindra Foundation, in Bengaluru today.

He said he relied on psychology books and coaches, besides his family, all through his journey. Bindra said he feels blessed that he had access to world-class recovery and rehabilitation from his injuries. “I had the good fortune of travelling around the world and having access to the rehab process that followed it.’’

Injuries are common in sports and athletes are sometimes forced to quit their career. In 2019-2020, 14.75 per cent athletes sustained shoulder injuries, 13.11 per cent got knee injuries and 11.48 per cent ankle injuries.

‘Sport of Life’ aims to raise awareness about sports injuries and provide better treatment to athletes.

Legendary Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, Prof. Arumugam S., director, Centre for Sports Science, and Anish Bafna, CEO and MD of Healthium Medtech, were also present at the event.