The poster was removed after images went viral on social media

The sports wing of the district administration of Visakhapatnam came under severe criticism on Thursday after a poster featuring the photo of tennis star Sania Mirza bore the name of athletics legend P.T. Usha.

The poster was put up near Submarine museum on the Beach Road and was arranged on the occasion of 2K Walkathon and YSR Kreeda Protasahakalu, marking National Sports Day celebrations in the city.

A morning walker took a picture and uploaded it on social media. As it raised a storm within a few minutes, the poster was removed.

As part of the ‘Fit India’ programme, the Beach Road was decked up with a number of posters featuring iconic sports personalities such as P.V. Sindhu, P. Gopichand, Dhyan Chand, Usha and a few others.

Tourism Minister M. Srinivasa Rao, District Collector V. Vinay Chand and a few others took part in the walk on Thursday morning. The organisers are yet to respond to the issue.