Bollywood actor Salman Khan was on Saturday elected as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Rio Olympics and that decision by the Indian Olympic Association(IOA) was met with mixed responses from sportspersons in the fraternity.
Here’s a compilation of those who supported the move and who didn’t:
FOR
1.Abhinav Bindra
2.Saina Nehwal
3.Balbir Singh Sr.
4.Sardar Singh
“Salman has a huge fan base. He has good views on sports and it’s a good thing for Indian sports that he has come on board. A lot of people are getting connected to Olympic sports because of him. People are entitled to their views and I respect their opinion,”
5.Sunil Gavaskar
“If he can bring a lot more awareness to that particular profession, then why not? I don’t see anything wrong in it. How has the IPL benefitted by having Bollywood stars in it? It has helped considerably by bringing crowds to the stadium. Having Shah Rukh, Preity (Zinta) in the ground, a lot of people come to see them, so that’s a plus”
6.Mary Kom
“It hasn’t happened before, so it’s a good thing for the athletes. It’s good for us to have a brand ambassador like him.”
7.IOA Vice-President Tarlochan Singh
“When celebrities who appeal to public come forward to help naturally we get more publicity which is good for sports".
AGAINST
1.Shiva Keshavan
2.Milkha Singh
“India has produced so many sportspersons who have given their sweat and blood for the country like PT Usha, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Ajit Pal and so many others. One of these could have been made a goodwill ambassador. What was the need to import a person from Bollywood?
"I want to make it clear that I am not against Salman Khan, but the decision of the IOA is wrong and the government should intervene in the matter. This is for the first time I am seeing a Bollywood hero being made goodwill ambassador for Olympics. I want to ask has Bollywood ever made any sportsperson an ambassador for any of their mega event?"
3.Vikram Sathaye
4.Yogeshwar Dutt
5.Viren Rasquinha
6.Jagbir Singh
