'In an Oly final, it's that 1% edge that makes all the difference': Bindra

With an aim to engage in meaningful discourse and create High-Performance excellence in sport and knowledge for administrators and stakeholders, the ELMS Foundation on Saturday launched Indias first-ever High-Performance Leadership Program in association with the Abhinav Bindra Foundation, and along with one of the worlds premier institution for sports, Loughborough University.

Talking about the significance of the program which aims to create excellence in every aspect of sporting ecosystem, co-promoter of ELMS Foundation Vita Dani said: "ELMS Foundation is excited to launch the first-of-its-kind High-Performance Leadership Program in India, along with the Abhinav Bindra Foundation and experts from the esteemed Loughborough University. This program aims to create high-performance sports administrators, who can lead and create one of the world's best sports ecosystem in India. It is our hope that leaders passing out of this program will become catalysts in India's journey to becoming a global sporting power."

Bindra at the launch of India's first High-Performance Leadership Program

The program launch was attended by Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, DG Sports Authority of India (SAI) Sandip Pradhan, ELMS Foundation's promoter Vita Dani, India's first individual Olympic gold medalist Bindra and celebrated Indian badminton coach Pullela Gopichand along with participants of the program and high-ranking officers of sports in the country.

"We just want celebration; we just want medals and results but there is no collective national effort which can yield results in a more definitive way and more often. If you see the Olympic medals tally, it's not a good sight, not a happy scenario for a country of India's size. But unfortunately, we don't have a sports culture in India. How will we move forward until and unless we have a course structured for athletes as well as administrators," Rijiju said.

"High-Performance Sport is a simple concept that encompasses paying attention to the finer aspects of talent identification, training, and athlete development. When competing in an Olympic final where everyone is prepared to the hilt, it is that 1% edge that makes all the difference. Creating an ecosystem where that mindset is paramount is what we hope to inspire in the participants. These participants will carry the High-Performance Mandate forward as leaders of Indian Sport, and help us bridge the gap between us and Global Best Practice," Bindra said.

The inaugural course will be attended by leaders from the SAI, state governments, national sport federations and private sector enterprises, as they run through five modules of how to integrate High-Performance Sport into all that they do.

Over 50 participants from across the country have been nominated for this course, with more versions being opened to the public in the near future.