On the eve of the inauguration of the Rio Games, sports minister Vijay Goel inaugurated the Exhibition on Olympic Games and Live Screening of Rio Games at Central Park,Connaught Place. Hundreds thronged to the park on Friday evening, hoping to get a selfie withKarnam Malleswari, Anju Bobby George and Gautam Gambhir. But except for a lucky few, who were able to trick the security personnel, all the selfie seekers had to be content with clicking a picture with the cardboard cutouts of the sportspersons participating in the Olympics.
Star nahi, cutout hi sahi
“I had come to get a picture with either Anju Bobby George or Gautam Gambhir, but I couldn’t get anywhere near them. So I had pictures clicked with the cutouts placed here. Maybe someday, I’ll get the opportunity to get a picture with the real stars after they bag medals at Rio,” said a dejected Amit Khanna, a resident of Govindpuri. Jaya Sarkar, an acting student, said, “Selfie na sahi, itna achha cultural programme dekhne ko toh mila. Yeh Central Park lag hi nahi raha hai. Decorated in the Olympic theme, it looks stunning.”
Wish ’em luck
On the occasion, Goel said, “Every Olympics, our sportspersons go, win medals and come back, but there is no connect with viewers in India. So, this time, we are making sure that all of you get to see the matches live here.” Goel then went on to talk about recently held events which were organised to bring the youth closer to the Olympics, like the Run for Rio event where 20,000 people participated after being flagged off by PM Narendra Modi, and a ‘Wall of Wishes’ which was inaugurated at the India Gate lawns in the presence of boxer Mary Kom. Goel also asked people to tweet #KheloIndia to @indiasports to cheer the Indian players. “Prime minister kehte hain, kheloge toh khiloge,” he said.
Gambhir said, “Getting an Olympic medal is more difficult than winning the World Cup in cricket. So, support your other sportsperson the way you all have supported us (cricketers).” While Anju didn’t have much to say, Karnam said, “When a player wins, the country wins. When I got on that podium to receive my Olympic medal, I felt like every Indian citizen had stepped on that podium along with me that day.”