It was a pleasant surprise to see Hein Verbruggen, International Olympic Committe honorary member, in the city to witness the ongoing SDAT-WSF U-21 World Cup.
Significantly he had come at a time when WSF is going all out to package the sport including various innovations, all with the aim of getting the sport into the Olympics. The all-glass court with LED lights to highlight the court-markings and huge screens for the public to watch the match action and replays are a few new developments intended to enrich the watching-experience.
Speaking on various aspects of sports and Olympics, Verbruggen, in a chat with The Hindu , said he believed that India had the potential to host the mega games from the organisational point of view. An experienced administrator and long-time member of the IOC, Verbruggen, who is also the President of Sport Accord, an umbrella organisation in which all top federations come in, spoke highly of the way China conducted the Beijing Games in 2008.
“It was incredible. I was involved in it as chairman of the coordination commission and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said. Wishing India well for the London Olympics, he said, “In Beijing you won your first gold through shooter Abhinav Bindra,
“I hope many more Indians win medals in London. I will be there to witness the action. Wish them all success,” he said.
