Salman Khan Goodwill Ambassador For Rio Olympics And “Aishwarya Rai” Petitions Against It
Culture & Lifestyle Apr 26, 2016
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced that Bollywood superstar Salman Khan will be the Goodwill Ambassador for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The selection has had a snowball effect on public opinion, especially for members of the sports fraternity.
IOA Secretary General Rajiv Mehta defended the choice, saying, "Our key objective of bringing him on board is to draw maximum attention from the masses, due to which there will be more eyeballs and viewership which will eventually result in popularising Olympic sports in the country. We may appoint more icons from other walks of life like music, cricket, art culture and Olympic sports etc."
Salman Khan on the Occasion of Being Named the Goodwill Ambassador for Rio Olympics
Photo Credit: www.indianexpress.com
There's even an online petition to ban Sallu Bhai from being the Goodwill Ambassador. What's the funny angle to this story? The petition was someone named Aishwarya Rai….
It's unclear whether this is the real Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (likely not) or another person with the same name, or perhaps someone taking a dig at Salman's infamous relationship with the former Miss World.
Photo Credit: www.indiatoday.intoday.in
Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt tweeted in Hindi, "Everybody has the right to promote movies in India, but Olympics is not a place to promote films." He added, "Can anyone tell me what is the role of the goodwill ambassador? Why are you fooling the public?"
Sports legend Milkha Singh commented on the decision more diplomatically, "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 mater. 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 or any of their mega event?"
However, hockey captain Sardar Singh was supportive of IOA's appointment, "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."
Mary Kom, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, noted that it was good to have a brand ambassador like Salman Khan.
Abhinav Bindra, India's only Olympic gold medallist, tweeted a message of praise for the actor.
Former India basketball captain Divya Singh didn't endorse the selection.
B-town celebs have also started pouring in their comments as well.
Director Subhash Ghai shared the following message on social media.
Filmmaker Onir differed, commenting, "We need to have some respect for people from other fields. For a sports event, why can't we go with someone like Prakash Padukone or maybe a sportswoman? I don't agree with this at all."
Salman's father, Salim Khan, actress Divya Dutta and filmmaker Ashoke Pandit are some other figures voicing their approval of the actor's new role.
What do you think about Salman Khan's appointment as the goodwill ambassador for the Rio Olympics? Share your comments below.
Main Image Photo Credit: www.twitter.com
Sonia Malik
Author
Sonia writes on current affairs and pop culture. An English graduate from the University of Toronto, she identifies as a global citizen, feminist and nature lover. She will be ready to shake a leg to a peppy Bollywood beat any day.
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