BENGALURU: Abhinav Bindra has backed the International Olympic Committee's decision to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus to put pressure on Russia to stop the war against Ukraine.
Asked why the IOC didn't take a similar stand before when faced with similar invasions, the 2008 Beijing Olympic shooting champion said: "We live in a different world now and sports cannot be completely separated from society. Every element of society, and not just sport, is coming forward to put that pressure and to work for peace."