The Indian Olympic Association has approached former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman, and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra to be the country's goodwill ambassadors for the upcoming Rio Olympics. “We are in communication with Sachin Tendulkar and AR Rahman to become brand ambassadors of the Indian Olympic contingent. We have yet to get their reply,” IOA Vice President Tarlochan Singh said.

Singh clarified that Salman Khan, whose appointment as India’s goodwill ambassador for the Olympics garnered a lot of criticism, will continue to be on board, and that the association will “rope in more people”. Earlier, IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta had said in a statement that Khan would not be the sole face of the Indian Olympics contingent, Hindustan Times reported.