Rohan Puri (THE TIMES OF INDIA; April 24, 2016)

'Salman Khan ko Indian Olympic Association (IOA) ne goodwill ambassador kyun bana diya?' (Why did IOA opt for Salman Khan as the contingent's goodwill ambassador) was the word going around even before the event had officially started.

An hour later, after constant reminders and miffed expressions on journalists' faces, five sportspersons ­ Sardar Singh, Mary Kom, Apurvi Chandela, Manika Batra and Ritu Rani ­ arrived on the podium along with IOA president N Ramachandran and general secretary Rajeev Mehta, unaware of the sarcasm hidden in the polite applause. It was a tough moment for Ramachandran though. He was about to sit on the seat kept at the centre of the stage, however better sense prevailed and he was quick to realize his error. The sight of the empty seat meant it was for the 'Superstar'. In walked 'Bhai', in his grand style. After a brief  'ooohs and aaahs', whistles and cheers, the excited eyes settled.

The Indian contingent's goodwill ambassador for the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympics had finally arrived.
'Why were you late?' was the curt but justified question thrown at Salman Khan. 'Aapke odd-even ki wajah se' (Because of your odd-even scheme), came the sharp reply, leaving the audience in fits of laughter. With this statement, he echoed the sentiments of most of the Delhiites these days.

Minutes later, after Salman had answered a dozen questions directed at him, a scribe reminded him of a similar role he had with another sports body, which turned out to be a failure. So, how will this one be different and help Indian athletes? “Since my arrival, all your questions have been directed at me,“ he said, and then answered: “It's always mutual. There are always two parties involved.“

Why Salman Khan and not a sportsperson has been named the goodwill ambassador was raised by some sportspersons as well. “It's good a star like him is supporting our Olympics campaign. However, a sportsperson would have been a better option and motivated us more. They have gone through a similar grind and would have connected with us much better,“ one of them told TOI.