Monday, Jun 14, 2004
Monday, Jun 14, 2004 |
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Letters to the Editor
Sir, — The photographs of film stars carrying the Olympic flame through the streets of Delhi saddened me. More saddening is the fact that newspapers tend to focus on these actors, not athletes. Are these film stars going to represent India at Athens?
Vivek Bhaskar,
Sir, — It was heart-breaking to listen to the golden girl P.T. Usha lamenting the fact that she could not carry the Olympic flame. She may not be as glamorous as Aishwarya Rai or Aamir Khan, but she has brought glory to the nation.
Saju C. Mannarath,
Sir, — Will the film industry allow a sportsman to inaugurate a film festival? Sponsors should not be allowed to dictate terms during an event as prestigious as this.
E. Muralidharan,
Sir, — In India, cine stars may even speak in science congresses. No wonder our Olympic record is so poor.
Srinivasan,
Sir, — The media as a protest should not have published photos of film stars holding the torch.
Arun Balachandran,
Sir, — Can glamour fetch India an Olympic gold? Politicians and Bollywood stars should be kept away from sports events.
V.A. Gopala,
Sir, — The Indian Olympics Association should be disbanded for choosing movie stars to carry the Olympic torch. Let the film stars do what they do best: selling dreams.
Faizal M. Yacoob,
Sir, — It is a shame that we lost a chance to salute athletes.
Ashwin Sreekumar,
Sir, — Adding glamour to an otherwise solemn event is, to say the least, an Indian phenomenon.
A.C. Balakrishnan,
Sir, — The Union Sports Minister and the IOA president owe an apology to all the great athletes who were not invited for this historic occasion.
Anil Thomas,
Sir, — Considering the hype created by the crowd and the press I would not be surprised if a few film stars find a place in the Indian squad for the Athens Olympics.
N. Subramonian,
Sir, — Going by the trend, one can be sure that cricketers and actors will soon take part in the Olympics.
Messiah Mathew Cheeran,
Sir, — It was sad to see P.T. Usha's grief at receiving the invitation at the last minute and hence not being able to carry the torch.
Dhawal Hariyani,
Sir, — The flame should have been carried by the 62 athletes who have qualified for the Athens games and by the former Olympians.
Vivek Shantharam,
Sir, — The inclusion of film stars and cricketers in the event might have been a marketing strategy but the omission of several Olympians will affect the morale of athletes.
Prerit Rana,
Sir, — Celebrities from other fields can be invited but not at the cost of our sporting heroes.
Diljith Divakaran,
Sir, — It is another glaring example, if one is wanted, of how not to promote sports.
R. Veena & R. Vidya,
Sir, — The trauma experienced by athletes eclipsed by Bollywood stars during the torch run is understandable.
S.M. Basha,
Sir, — Why was not a Kargil hero or a soldier from Siachen invited? Can the IOA not look beyond Bollywood?
Col. (retd.) Mahendra Singh,
Sir, — It was an epoch-making event but the exclusion of several renowned sportspersons from it was sad.
Keshav Kumar,
Sir, — There is no doubt that sponsorship is required to assist sports federations. But the sponsors should not be allowed to dictate terms.
N. Mahadevan,
Sir, — It is sad that very few events in our country end without a film star gracing the occasion?
Susit Mitro,
Sir, — After the hectic lobbying done at the highest levels to bring the torch to India, it is sad to see non-sports people running away with the credit.
N. Ramanathan,
Sir, — Yesterday, film stars were the hopes for winning elections. Today they are entrusted with the Olympic torch. What next?
D.V. Raghavan,
Sir, — It is not as if we have a huge list of Olympic champions. Ignoring even the few shows the authorities' contempt for them.
Abhinesh Vijayaraj,
Sir, — It is disappointing that our film personalities accepted the offer to demean the Olympians.
R. Raghunathan,
Sir, — The torch seemed totally out of place in the hands of film stars. It is a fallacy that the attention of the masses can only be held by engaging film stars.
P. Karthika Devi,
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