Shooter Abhinav Bindra targets BCCI, IPL in times of COVID-19

Indias only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra on Monday questioned the continuation of Indian Premier League IPL when the Covid19 pandemic has virtually crippled India saying Indian cricketers and officials cant just live in their own bubble and be totally deaf or blind to whatever is going on outsideBindra who won the 10metre air rifle gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games also wondered why the Indian cricket board worth Rs 1448980 crore the richest in the world hasnt contributed so far to the Covid cause like vaccination during the current waveCricketers and officials cant just live in their own bubble and be totally deaf or blind to whatever is going outside he wrote in a hardhitting piece in the Indian Express newspaperI can only imagine that while youre having these IPL games outside the stadium you have ambulances going to hospitals I dont know how the coverage on TV is but I would really appreciate if its a little bit muted in nature I think celebration and everything around it should be at a minimum because you have to show a little bit of respect to society wrote the 38yearold ace shooterThe Zirakpurbased Bindra who is a member of the International Olympic Committees IOC Athletes Commission came down heavily on the Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI worth Rs 1448980 crore as per its latest 201819 balance sheet available with IANS for not rising to the occasion and being countedSecondly if I was the BCCI president and had the capability and I understand the IPL is not a charity I would definitely give a large amount to do say the vaccination right or help out in any other way This is one way to acknowledge that to conduct IPL right now is a huge privilege and everyone should act responsibly wrote Bindra without mentioning the name of BCCI president Sourav GangulySo far four players Ravichandran Ashwin Adam Zampa Kane Richardson and Andrew Tye have withdrawn from the IPL for personal reasons as the number of Covid cases in India continue to go upKolkata Knight Riders Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins also briefly touched upon the issue of conducting IPL in a time like this while announcing that he was contributing 50000 to the PM CARES Fund of IndiaA big announcement from an Indian cricketer is yet to be madeAfter matches held in Mumbai and Chennai the IPL moved to Ahmedabad on Monday while Delhi which is gasping for oxygen and beds in hospitals or Corona patients is scheduled to host eight IPL matches starting Wednesday So far the BCCI has not announced any change in the original IPL schedule though Hyderabad and Indore are standby venuesA completely devastated Bindra said that there has been a complete breakdown of our medical system and pointed out that it goes on to show that we do require a lot more investment in healthcare He also referred to excessive nationalism and specifically pointed out a comment of former Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships gold medallist wrestler Yogeshwar DuttAnd as citizens we need to follow the rules The one basic element of sports is to play by the rules This is why I got frustrated with wrestler Yogeshwar Dutts tweet What he said about the Kumbh Mela and the references to a certain section of society is something we do not need at the moment Bindra wroteBindra said that everyone should come together and show solidarity and kindness towards one other He also wondered why Indian athletes do not speak up on crucial issuesSportspersons in India have been criticised for not speaking up on issues of national interest or saying things that do not upset the establishment This isnaiquestt a recent trend and its hard to argue against it I dont know what stops Indian athletes from expressing their thoughts freely maybe it is the fear of repercussions But I dont know why the fear would exist because sport is largely meritorious in nature If you are good enough nobody can stop you from competing said BindraMany athletes have had great achievements and are heroes in their own right But we are not saving any lives So let us keep our achievements in the right perspective look at what is happening around us look at all the frontline workers and their efforts to save lives They are the real heroes So if we have the possibility of helping out in whatever way we can we should do it he saidThe champion shooter further wrote Personally I am not able to watch any sport at the moment Even when I go on Twitter and see some news about the IPL on my timeline I quickly scroll past it because I am not able to relate to any of it at the momentBindra clarified that there could be positives as well of the IPLThere is so much negativity right now as people and as a nation that we also need an outlet to keep us going So that is one element which is very positive he saidThe players should realise just how privileged they are to be able to play the IPL in these times So I just hope everybody involved in the IPL play their part in one way or the other either through right messaging like the importance of masking up the importance of social distancing or even finding creative ways to amplify the health requirements of people the 2006 World Championship gold medallist wroteThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever