AFP
One of the most popular footballers to have come out of India, Bhaichung Bhutia, has put his weight behind Salman Khan's appointment as Indian contingent's goodwill ambassador for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
AFP
Bhaichung's words have a lot of value as a sportsman, politician and public figure. Yesterday the former India captain justified the move to have a Bollywood superstar bat for the country's Olympic cause. "You all know where will be the spotlight if (only Indian Olympic individual gold medalist) Abhinav Bindra stands beside Salman! That's the sad reality in India. Bollywood sells in India. Sport needs Bollywood and I don't see anything wrong in it if he promotes sport for the country at Rio," Bhutia said at Calcutta Sports Journalists' Club's Annual Awards in Kolkata.
Where many of India's legendary athletes like Milkha Singh and Dhanraj Pillay have shown disagreement to Indian Olympic Association's move, Bhaichung gives the example of sporting leagues in India where the Bollywood card has worked. "Salman did not go on his own and approach IOA to make him the ambassador. We have seen in IPL and ISL how the involvement of Bollywood has helped," he said.?