Akshay Kumar, one of Bollywood’s hottest properties, has been appointed the Indian Ambassador for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.

The renowned ‘action hero’ received the Olympic Torch from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at an event in Mumbai. Akshay was introduced by the PM as the only torch-bearer from India, and the only actor in the world bestowed with the honour.

It was the first time that the Olympic Torch had been presented to an ambassador in their own country of residents and Akshay was also given the uniform of the torch relay for the games.

The star of new comedy, De Dana Dan, is the sole representative of the Bollywood industry and he will be running with the torch through Toronto on 17th December. He stated the feeling of pride in being asked to be part of the relay: “I cannot even begin to describe it. I felt so truly honoured and lucky, it’s such a huge thing and to be recognised like that is just surreal,” he said.

Away from his acting Akshay is also well-known for his love of martial arts and adrenaline sports and is also a World Ambassador for the Special Olympics, alongside other household names such as Colin Farrell and Arnold Schwarzenegger.