Salman will be able to add glamour, visibility to Rio Olympics: Ganguly

Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly believes the appointment of Bollywood actor Salman Khan as the goodwill ambassador for the Olympics will add glamour and bring visibility to the mega event.

"I am fine with Salman being appointed as the ambassador as he can bring visibility and glamour quotient to anything," Ganguly said here on Thursday at an event.

The 43-year-old also voted for an option of having multiple ambassadors for the Olympics.

"Salman is popular and would bring visibility to the Rio Olympics, you cannot deny that. He is an entertainer. It is absolutely fine to have him as the ambassador. I think they can have other ambassadors as well, it's nowhere written that they can only have one ambassador," he said.

Elaborating on the issue further, he added, "There have been some outstanding athletes who have brought laurels to the country, I'm sure they can team up with Salman. There is no harm at all in having other ambassadors. They can work alongside Salman to combine glamour, entertainment and sports. We have some legends in the country who can be a part of it."

Ganguly, who co-owns Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Atletico de Kolkata, also gave examples to support his statement from opening ceremonies of sports events where entertainment and sports are brought together.

"When you have big events like the Commonwealth Games and the IPL we have a bit of both (sports and entertainment), in the glittering opening ceremony. These things make it perfect. It can be a mixture of both. Look at the ISL, there's so many film stars and sports persons involved and that makes it a success."

Ganguly, who had captained the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise during the initial years of the IPL, said the two time champions are the best in the ongoing edition of the glamour tournament.

"These are early days and anything can happen, But for me they are the best side in the IPL, quite balanced and looking good," he said.

--IANS

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