Abhinav Bindra not in favour of boycotting 2022 CWG

The IOA on Saturday proposed boycott of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games for dropping shooting from the roster

New Delhi: Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra yesterday said he is not in favour of boycotting the 2022 Commonwealth Games, instead urging the Indian Olympic Association to work towards getting shooting included as a core sport in CWG programme.

In an unprecedented move, the IOA on Saturday proposed boycott of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games for dropping shooting from the roster, and sought the government’s approval through a letter to Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju.

However, former world champion Bindra, who also claimed a historic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, thinks such a move will not win India "influence".

"Boycotts don’t win you influence. They just make you irrelevant and punish other athletes. Would be far better if IOA did a campaign to load the CWG committees with their people and allies and push for the inclusion of shooting onto the core list of sports for the future," Bindra tweeted.

Shooting is an optional sport in the CWG.

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