Abhinav Bindra to head review committee on Rio debacle

India’s first and only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra will head a five-member review committee to probe the shooters’ Rio Games debacle, the National Rifle Association of India said here on Thursday.

Other members of the committee include former tennis player Manisha Malhotra, who has also been appointed convenor of the committee, NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia and two senior journalists, a statement said.

The NRAI said the mandate of the committee was to “examine and identify in a cold and ruthless manner” the causes behind shooting not securing any medals at Rio. The committee is also mandated to recommend concrete steps that NRAI must immediately undertake to ensure that this is not repeated in future Olympics.

The NRAI order states that only in “matters specifically pertaining to the interview or findings/conclusions if any against or in favour of any Olympic team athlete that maybe examined by the committee, the chairman of the committee shall be exempt participation in toto from such tasks by recusal, however upon his own request he too shall make himself available for interview by the remainder of the panel.”

The order further states that, “for this specific issue only, the remaining members of the commission shall officiate jointly, where majority view shall prevail”.