In order to overshadow the criticism that came up after appointing Salman Khan as the Indian Olympic contingent’s goodwill ambassador, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) came up with a master plan.
IOA has appointed India’s only Olympic gold medal winning shooter, Abhinav Bindra, as a new goodwill ambassador. Bindra confirmed the news of the appointment on Twitter:
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) April 29, 2016
India’s only Olympic gold medal winning shooter, Abhinav Bindra, posted a series of tweets accepting the appoinment.
To which Bindra replied:
Received a letter this afternoon from the President and Secretary General of the IOA inviting me to be a goodwill ambassador. CONT.
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) April 29, 2016
I am humbled that they thought I am worthy enough for this honour. I respectfully accept this with gratitude. CONT .
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) April 29, 2016
I have lived my life for the OG &have always done my best to work for the betterment of the Olympic movement in India &I will continue CONT.
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) April 29, 2016
While my focus will be to perform at Rio,I will be writing to every member of the Indian Olympic team &offering them any help they may want
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) April 29, 2016
Every Indian Olympian is a champion in his or her own right I would just be sharing my experiences with them! CONT
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) April 29, 2016
I would be open to doing this until the 15 th of July &after that my focus will completely be towards my own performance until my event CONT
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) April 29, 2016
Request every Indian citizen to whole heartedly support the INDIAN OLYMPIC TEAM #rio2016#Indianolympicteam#indianolympiansarechampions
— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) April 29, 2016
Apart from Abhinav Bindra, the IOA has also requested Sachin Tendulkar and A R Rahman to become brand ambassadors of the Indian Olympic contingent. Vice president of IOA, Tarlochan Singh was quoted saying:
“We are in communication with Sachin Tendulkar and A R Rahman to become brand ambassadors of the Indian Olympic contingent. We are yet to get their reply.”
Salman’s appointment as goodwill ambassador had had created a lot of buzz when star wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and sprint legend Milkha Singh showed disapproval against the move while the IOA and some other athletes backed the decision.
This might come as some relief for us now! 😉
News Source: The Indian Express & India Today