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Is Salman Khan the right choice as Indian Olympic Association’s Goodwill Ambassador for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games?
The sporting fraternity is divided – split wide open in fact.
Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt came out strongly against the move with a series of tweets condemning the move.
Ambassador का क्या काम होता है कोई मुझे बता सकता है क्या. क्यूँ पागल बना रहे हो देश कि जनता को.? https://t.co/vtjb0XWdP8
— Yogeshwar Dutt (@DuttYogi) April 23, 2016
Kahi bhi ja Kar apni movie ka promotion kare,Es desh me adhikar hai Lekin Olympic movie promotion ki jagah Nahi https://t.co/ed6vCqNMXT
— Yogeshwar Dutt (@DuttYogi) April 23, 2016
PT Usha,Milkha Singh jaise bade sports star hai jinhone kathin samay me desh ke liye mehnat ki. Khel ke kshetra me Es ambassador ne Kya kiya
— Yogeshwar Dutt (@DuttYogi) April 23, 2016
खिलाड़ी हुँ इस लिए बनाया था में दारू नहीं पीता बीड़ी सिगरेट नहीं पीता अब तु बता अलिम्पिक के लिये सलमान क्यूँ है https://t.co/FLXSLuW1Ts
— Yogeshwar Dutt (@DuttYogi) April 23, 2016
Milkha Singh joined Dutt’s criticism saying “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?”
IOA vice-president Tarlochan Singh defended the decision. He said: “When celebrities who appeal to public come forward to help naturally we get more publicity which is good for sports. Trend among the youth is that they look towards such film celebrities. If we utilise them there’s no harm. We’re getting his (Salman Khan) help and not giving him anything. IOA is not paying him a penny.”
Sports is entertainment and sports persons are entertainers.
So why not entertainers be sporting brand ambassadors? They can attract more eyeballs and appeal to a wider demographic. Perhaps people will take much more interest in sports now that actors such as Dharmendra, Abhishek Bacchan, John Abraham, Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and others are investing in sporting properties such as the IPL, ISL, PWL and others.
Sports other than cricket can certainly do with the boost and interest generated.
At the same time, the timing of Salman’s appointment is suspect. The Bollywood superstar plays a wrestler in his upcoming movie Sultan. His rival Amir Khan plays another in Dangal.
Was this one-upmanship on Salman’s part cocking a snook at the more thoughtful Khan?
It certainly stinks to high hell.
Salman Khan does not exactly smell of roses given his embroilment in a hit-and-run court case despite being acquitted.
It doesn’t help that Sardar Singh and Mary Kom behave like star-struck fans at the press conference.
Pro boxer Vijender Singh disagrees, saying “this isn’t about Salman bhai’s upcoming movie Sultan or its promotion. Salman does a lot of movies every year, and he doesn’t need Olympics for it. Like he himself said, he is doing it as a goodwill gesture. And I have no doubt that he is doing this for the better of Indian sports.”
“So all in all, I feel this is a really positive step for the future of sports in our country. I have no doubt that it will make a difference in terms of getting more people interested in Olympics sports.”
Singh is hardly the best person to comment though. The boxer has been a part of Bollywood starring in the Hindi film Fugli. He probably still harbors filmi aspirations.
At the press conference, the charming Khan said. “My heroes are Sania Mirza, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar in sports. I think wrestling is a very painful sport. I was shooting for my film where I shot for many wrestling sequences. I can act like I am fighting, but I cannot fight like wrestler in real life.”