Every sportsperson in Indian Olympic contingent is a superstar: Salman

As a goodwill ambassador for India at the Rio Olympics, actor Salman Khan says "each and every sportsperson in the Indian Olympic team is a superstar", adding that they deserve "all our love, support and cheer".

Aiming to put the spotlight on athletes and energise fans to motivate them to be at their best, Salman has started a campaign to introduce the players with a tweet.

"For me each and every sportsperson in the Indian Olympic contingent is a superstar. They prepare for four years and have a few minutes, sometimes a few seconds to perform on the world's biggest stage," Salman said in a statement.

The "Sultan" star added: "Let us give them all our love and support and cheer for them. They deserve a billion cheers."

The actor, who enjoys a wide fan base across the globe, first introduced gymnast Dipa Karmakar on April 30, star shooter Abhinav Bindra on May 2 and since then he has been cheering for the sports stars every day. He applauded Indian track and field athlete O.P. Jaisha in the virtual world on Thursday.

A hashtag has been created for the campaign #MakeIndiaProud. The campaign is called 'India's Olympic Stars'.

That's not it. The "Dabangg" star is also planning a blog that will provide updates on the Indian qualifiers, their achievements and details about India at the Rio Olympics.

Salman's appointment had sparked off a debate on whether he should be the goodwill ambassador for India at the Rio Olympics or not. Many sportspersons including Milkha Singh came forward to criticise the decision, while Bollywood stars Kirron Kher and filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya backed Salman.

This year the Indian Olympic contingent will have over 80 representatives, who will represent the country in archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, field hockey, gymnastics, rowing, shooting, table tennis, tennis and wrestling.

Salman in his efforts as sports aficionado and ambassador will be promoting each category all through the countdown to the Rio Olympics.

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