'Why not PT Usha, Rathore or Ajit Pal instead of Salman Khan?,' Milkha Singh

I'm totally against the appointment of Salman Khan as the goodwill ambassador.

Firstly, I am against this concept of sending ambassadors to the Olympics. All the athletes that are going to participate in the Olympics for India – be it in shooting, wrestling, hockey or any other sport – are ambassadors themselves. Each one of them is. Those guys are doing something for our country, and they all deserve to have that tag. So why should we send another person, and that too a Bollywood star?

He is neither going to participate or do anything there, so what is the use of sending him as ambassador?

I really don't understand the logic behind appointing Salman Khan. Look, I have tremendous respect for Salman Khan. He is a superstar in his own field. But we shouldn't forget that anything related to sports should be left to sportspersons.

We have so many sportspersons in this country who have brought laurels in their respective fields. They have given their blood and sweat in order to shine for their country. Don't those people deserve a chance? Why should they send a Bollywood actor as the ambassador? We have so many jewels in our country in the field of sports like PT Usha, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Ajit Pal Singh. There are so many others who have won a gold medal for India at the international level.

The IOA's defence that Salman's appointment will attract more eyeballs to Olympics sports is a totally wrong way of looking at it. By that logic, why don't they send all Bollywood actors at the Olympics?

Lastly, when these Bollywood celebrities hold their set of functions or awards or anything, do they invite sportspersons for it, forget about making them ambassadors? This will never happen.

--Milkha Singh is a legendary Indian track and field athlete who participated in three Olympics. He spoke with Rutvick Mehta