Hyderabad: Noted environmentalist Sunita Narain on Wednesday applauded a "courageous" Cristiano Ronaldo for removing Coca Cola bottles away from camera glare and criticised the Indian sportspersons and celebrities who "take no responsibility" and continue to "flaunt" the product despite the health hazards involved.
Her comments came in the backdrop of the Portuguese striker removing the soft drinks placed in front of him during a European Championships press conference where he encouraged people to drink water instead.
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El Ronaldo amaga les ampolles de Coca-cola durant la roda de premsa, i les accions baixen.
— Txell Sota 😍 (@txellsota) June 15, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Us imagineu que hi col·loques unes quantes novel·les? #Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/5SllXGVz7L
">El Ronaldo amaga les ampolles de Coca-cola durant la roda de premsa, i les accions baixen.
— Txell Sota 😍 (@txellsota) June 15, 2021
Us imagineu que hi col·loques unes quantes novel·les? #Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/5SllXGVz7LEl Ronaldo amaga les ampolles de Coca-cola durant la roda de premsa, i les accions baixen.
— Txell Sota 😍 (@txellsota) June 15, 2021
Us imagineu que hi col·loques unes quantes novel·les? #Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/5SllXGVz7L
'Agua,' he said, the Portuguese term for water, while holding a water bottle and suggesting people to drink water.
"What Ronaldo has done is very courageous and very right. It is very sad that many of our sports players, who know very clearly that they should not be brand ambassadors for such drinks, continue to flaunt these drinks despite the major health impact it has on children. I think we need to make it very clear that Ronaldo has been very courageous," said the Director General of The Centre for Science & Environment (CSE).
Ronaldo's action caused ripples around the globe with the social media landscape flooding with memes, posts and comments, praising him for his bold move despite Coca Cola being one of the major sponsors of the ongoing Euros.
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😂Manuel Locatelli isn't a fan of Coca-Cola either... pic.twitter.com/g35Q90gVTP
— SPORF ⚽️➡️🏠🏴 (@Sporf) June 17, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">😂Manuel Locatelli isn't a fan of Coca-Cola either... pic.twitter.com/g35Q90gVTP
— SPORF ⚽️➡️🏠🏴 (@Sporf) June 17, 2021😂Manuel Locatelli isn't a fan of Coca-Cola either... pic.twitter.com/g35Q90gVTP
— SPORF ⚽️➡️🏠🏴 (@Sporf) June 17, 2021
Following this, others -- Italy's footballer Manuel Locatelli and France midfielder Paul Pogba -- too followed suit. The beverage company, on the other hand, suffered $4 billion loss of its market value.
"It's is very sad that many of our sports players who know very clearly that they should not be brand ambassadors for such drinks, continue to flaunt these drinks despite the major health impact it has on children. Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand too has done it. He stood out and said very clearly that he will not endorse these drinks," she told Etv Bharat over the telephone.
"Ronaldo doing what he did, picking up the bottle of coke is a very big step ahead," she added.
Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli and Badminton's chief national coach Pullela Gopichand are said to have snubbed offers from aerated drinks giants for endorsements.
"Things that I've endorsed in the past, I won't take names, but something that I feel that I don't connect to anymore... I won't urge others to consume it just because I'm getting money out of it.
"I want to give something to people that I use, myself. One of the reasons, I decided not to sign Pepsi is that I have undergone lifestyle change. And, I am not using that product anymore," Kohli had said in an interview with a leading media outlet back in 2017.
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When this website contacted Gopichand, who was offered a deal for endorsement in 2002, he said, "I did it post the All England. I believe that soft drinks are not healthy for consumption and as a sportsperson I thought it was not right for me to endorse something which I would not personally do."
Asked why sportspersons and celebrities continue to promote these brands, Narain said, "As far as I am concerned, I don't know, you ask them. For an outsider, it is very clear, it has to be money. Because everybody knows the impact of these drinks."
Narain also hit out at movie actors, including Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, hinting the vast sum of money involved might be the cause for endorsing soft drinks.
"I can understand that 20-years-ago when Shah Rukh (Shah Rukh Khan) and Aamir Khan fought CSE when it came to cold drinks. Maybe during that time, the impact of it was not known. It was seemed to be inspirational. It seemed to be a fun thing.
"Today, it is very clear they are responsible as far as obesity is concerned. They are seen to be a bad choice. There is no reason that I can believe unless these people live in a world of their own and don't read and don't understand anything, which is hard to believe. They are intelligent young men or old men. They should certainly take responsibility for their actions. And if they are not then it has to be the privilege that the brand gives -- whether it is the money... I don't know what else the brand gives," Narain signed off.
--Ayushmaan Pandey
