Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt has taken to social media to express disappointment over the appointment of Bollywood actor Salman Khan as the Indian Olympic contingent ambassador. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) made the annnouncement in New Delhi today.
The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, who has already qualified for the Rio Olympics in the 65 kg category, tweeted an angry response to IOA’s decision. He said, “What is the job of an ambassador, can someone tell me? Why are they trying to fool the nation.”
He also added, “ Why weren’t sportspersons such as PT Usha, Milkha Singh, who have been through such tough times and fought for the country made the ambassador?”
This is not the first time, Dutt has taken a critical stance on social media. Earlier, he had been vocal about the JNU issue, questioning the people who weren’t respecting the lives of Armymen fighting for their lives across disputed frontiers.
According to sources within IOA, Salman Khan’s appointment is based on his latest Bollywood venture, ‘Sultan,’ which is based on wrestling. However, this negates the very cornerstone of Olympic development, which states sport should be kept away from commercial success. The sole focus should be on the athletes and the nuances surrounding them.
A senior IOA official said, “Our main goal is to push the Olympic sports towards the mainstream realm, and the selection of Salman Khan will do just that. As you know outside of cricket other sports are not as popular, once people know somebody like Salman Khan is involved, they will be attracted to India’s participation.”
Ideally a sportsperson from outside the Olympic contingent, who has bought laurels for India should have been instated. For example, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who won silver in shooting at the 2004 Athens Games. He has both sporting and administrative experience in the country.
Even if that wasn’t possible, why not bring in an actor with sporting experience? Somebody like Akshay Kumar, who has a rich history with combat sports would fit the build. People all over social media are failing to see the logic behind this move, including an Olympic veteran.
