Aamir Khan at the Olympics Torch Relay

Coca-Cola India recently announced torchbearers for the Olympic Torch Relay and present among them was Aamir Khan.

The six torchbearers were from diverse fields like cinema, government, corporate house, NGO, science and grassroots. The criteria of selection involved short-listing luminaries, who, besides having excelled in their respective fields, should have also demonstrated commitment to the cause of environment stewardship. Aamir was asked to represent cinema.

Aamir, who is also Coca-Cola’s brand ambassador, said, “I am delighted to be a part of the Olympic Torch Relay. This truly is a rare privilege and an absolute honour. What makes this feeling even more special is that it has given me the opportunity to be associated with the world’s greatest sporting event and, at the same time, also raise awareness to the cause of the environment. On behalf of Coca-Cola, I am delighted to announce the roll out of the company’s latest environment awareness initiative. The countrywide program includes organising painting competitions in schools on the theme ‘The Need To Protect Environment’. The initiative would involve thousands of students across India.”

All the selected environmental champions will run with the Olympic Torch as part of the worldwide Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay. In March 2008, the Olympic Torch Relay began its round-the-world tour that includes a one-day relay in Delhi. This would be the largest relay in the history of the Olympic Games, covering approximately 137,000 kilometres (85,128 miles) over a span of 130 days and travelling to all five continents represented by the Olympic Rings.