Salim Khan defends son Salman in Olympic ambassador row
One of India's best athletes, Milkha Singh weighed upon the ambassador row, calling it needless to appoint a Bollywood celebrity as the face of India's campaign in the global sporting event.
Reacting to such allegations, Salim Khan in a series of tweets wrote: "Salman khan may not have competed but is an A level swimmer cyclist and weight lifter."
He tweeted: "Sportsmen are performing because of sports lovers like us.
Meanwhile, the sports ministry on Monday said it "will not interfere" with the IOA's decision.
As the IOA faced backlash from the sporting fraternity for appointing actor Salman Khan as the ambassador for the upcoming Rio Olympics, Milkha Singh said that the sportsperson themselves were eligible to take on the role.
While Salman received backing from his fraternity, grappler and Olympics Bronze medal winner Yogeswar Dutta slammed the appointment.
"Can anyone tell me what is the work of an ambassador. Why are you trying to make people of India crazy," Dutt had tweeted on Sunday.
"Sports icons like PT Usha and Milkha Singh have worked hard for the nation during difficult times. But what has this ambassador done in the field of sports," another tweet had read.
Echoing Dutt's sentiment, Singh too questioned Khan's appointment as the ambassador.
In a reply to Milkha Singh's comments, Salim Khan posted: "Milkhaji it is not Bollywood it is the Indian Film Industry and that too the largest in the world."
"The same industry which resurrected you from fading away in oblivion," he wrote.
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