Abhinav Bindra becomes first Indian to win ISSF's Blue Cross, shooting sport's highest honour

New Delhi: India’s Olympic and world champion shooter Abhinav Bindra has been conferred the sport’s highest honour for his outstanding services as the chairman of the International Shooting Sport Federation’s Athletes Committee. The 36-year-old Bindra, who remains India’s lone individual Olympic gold medallist, has been bestowed with the Blue Cross, the ISSF’s highest award. [caption id=“attachment_2990344” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Abhinav Bindra. PTI[/caption] “Extremely humbled to receive the @ISSF_Shooting’s highest honour the Blue Cross at the General Assembly in Munich today,” Bindra wrote on his twitter handle. Bindra was succeeded in the post by the legendary American shooter Kimberly Rhode. “Handing over the @ISSF_Shooting Athletes Committee to the legendary @KimRhode at her first Executive Committee meeting in Munich today !” The shooter, who created history by winning the 10m air rifle gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, was a member of the ISSF Athletes Committee from 2010 to 2014 and chairman from 2014 to 2018. During this tenure he has also been awarded with the President’s Button and the Diploma of Honour in January 2016 in appreciation for his outstanding career as an athlete and role model for shooters globally. With him at the helm, the committee has brought out a comprehensive Athletes Handbook, for the benefit of shooters around the world. National Rifle Association of India president President Raninder Singh was awarded the ISSF diploma of honour gold medal at the general assembly. He was presented with the diploma and medal by the outgoing longest serving president of the ISSF, Olegario Vazquez Rana, who was at the helm for 38 years. Expressing gratitude to the global shooting fraternity, Singh said, “The sport has grown by leaps and bounds under the able leadership of Mr Rana and it will be a tough task for whoever replaces him, to match up to the lofted benchmarks set.” Singh added, “I accept this award on behalf of the entire NRAI team, who have been tireless in their pursuit of growing the sport in India, the Government of India who have stood by us at all times and above all the shooting fraternity in the country, who are simply the very best.