Days after his sister pulled out of the Olympic torch relay, Actor Saif Ali Khan reacts to the torch fiasco and says politics and sport should be kept separate. In an exclusive interview with TIMES NOW Sriparna Mitra, Saif speaks about the on-going debate of the Olympic torch relay. Sriparna: What is your personal stand on participating in the Olympic torch relay?Saif: Well my personal is that politics and sports should be generally be separated. I understand that in a perfect world it would be easy, but this is not a perfect world. The more high profile the sport, the more likely it will be used, to highlight a cause which is not necessarily a bad thing. I personally though am not a great supporter of China's politics. I do feel for the people of Tibet, but I am here as the supporter of the Olympics, which I believe transcends all that. It is the greatest sporting event of the world has ever seen. It is a chance where countries showcase and compete on the highest human level possible. It is something that is handed down from antiquity when it comes to time. Sriparna: Are you concerned about your safety as it related to protest groups?Saif: The more people are talking about, the more I am realising that maybe there is a concern. I think there will be demonstrations as there have been and I think that is fine. It is a very personal issue. People can either be against this or  pro it. My sister, for example is against it and I think that is wonderful. I respect her opinion and I think that is important. We need to take a stand on this issue. I am a great supporter and I hold the Dalai Lama in high reverence. If he is supporting the Olympics then who am I not to. Sriparna: What do you have to say about MS Gill's comments that only athletes have a right to participate in the torch relay and not actors and politicians?Saif: The Sports Minister, I am sure, has his opinion and I respect that. But, as brand ambassador of Lenovo -- that is sponsoring the Olympics, I think if that was the case, I don't think it is right to exclude anyone from an event like this. Naturally it is the domain of the sportsmen, but I think being asked to participate is basically as a representative or a supporter of the Olympic cause in general. I think that is the point. I don't think anyone is really trying to encroach the space of the sportsmen glory. (Interviewed by Sriparna Mitra) ... read more »