'Adopt sports science in every athletic framework'- Abhinav Bindra

New Delhi: 2008 Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra believes that adopting sports science into the framework of every sport will help India grow into a sporting powerhouse.

Speaking at the Bharat Sports Science Conclave, Bindra said," To ascend to the Olympic echelon as a nation, we must embed sports science into every layer of our athletic framework. It is not just the state-of-the-art facilities but the integration of the scientific mindset from the grassroots to elite levels that will catalyze India's growth into a global sporting powerhouse."

Bindra, India's first individual Olympic champion, called upon coaches to take up the new age methods.

"Coaches as the custodians of athletic progress must embrace sports science to fine-tune their training methodologies to this digital age," Bindra said.

"The importance of starting at the grassroots level cannot be overstated. It is here we must begin to instill a culture of precision analytics and evidence-based training methods," the 41-year-old added.

The one-day conclave, aimed at supporting high-level research in high-performance and sports training, was organized by TransStadia University, the education arm of TransStadia Education and Research Foundation in association with the National Centre of Sports Science and Research (NCSSR).

Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur emphasized the important role of sports science in the development of the players.

"Sports science has played a crucial role in the success of most major athletes across sports disciplines. So, we are also ensuring the presence of a sports science department at our National Centers of Excellence in the country," he said.

Athletics Federation of India Vice President Anju Bobby George, Strength and Conditioning expert Wayne Lombard, and Rugby Federation of India President Rahul Bose were the other sports personalities present at the conclave.