Salman Khan, on Wednesday, has announced a cash reward of Rs. 1,01,000 to every athlete who has represented India at the ongoing Rio Olympics 2016.
Back in late April, the appointment of the Bollywood star as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Indian Olympic contingent had sparked an enormous amount of controversy.
Ahead of the Rio Olympics 2016, when focus should’ve been on our athletes and the athletes alone, questions were raised on whether a non-sporting personality like Salman was a fitting inclusion by the Indian Olympic Association, prompting several sportspersons to speak up on the matter – some in favour of the decision while some condemning it explicitly.
Earlier this month, a 119-member strong brigade – the largest ever from India – had arrived at the Brazilian venue of Rio de Janeiro, carrying a billion and a quarter hopes on their shoulders to try and achieve an unprecedented medal count for the country.
However, as things unraveled, India’s Olympians ended up having quite a difficult time in Rio, faring unexpectedly poorly in events like Shooting and Archery that were touted as certain medal sports for the talented representatives from the country. In some cases like Tennis and Gymnastics, Indians have missed the podium by a whisker, finishing at an agonizing but commendable 4th position.
In such a scenario, when the population is busy grieving the absence of a 2016 Olympics medal and the athletes take to social media to apologize despite their best efforts, Salman Khan hasn’t held back in showering his praise over the Indians who have participated in Rio.
Besides this gesture, Salman also acknowledged the efforts of organizations like OGQ and Edelweiss who have supported the Olympians at every step of their sporting endeavors. Below are the tweets made by the Sultan star on Wednesday evening:
