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Why Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem Declined Neeraj Chopra’s Invite To India
Pakistan’s star javelin throw athlete Arshad Nadeem, has declined Indian rival Neeraj Chopra’s invitation to compete in the inaugural NC Classic event scheduled in Bengaluru on May 24.
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Pakistan’s star javelin throw athlete Arshad Nadeem, has declined Indian rival Neeraj Chopra’s invitation to compete in the inaugural NC Classic event scheduled in Bengaluru on May 24.
Arshad Nadeem vs Neeraj Chopra: Friend and Foe
Nadeem shattered the Olympic record at Paris 2024 to win the javelin gold ahead of Neeraj, who bagged silver.
The reigning Olympic men’s javelin throw champion cited his preparations for the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships in the Republic of Korea as a reason for his inability to make it to the meet.
“The NC Classic event is from May 24, whereas I am scheduled to leave for Korea on May 22 for the Asian Athletics Championships. I have been training hard for the Asian Championship, which will be held in Gumi from May 27 to 31,” Nadeem told reporters.
The 28-year-old Pakistani ace, however, expressed his gratitude to Neeraj for the invite.
“I am grateful to Chopra for inviting me to the event,” he noted.
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The NC Classic will be held at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
Classified as a WA ‘A’ category or Continental Tour Gold-level meet, the NC Classic will be the highest-tier international athletics event ever hosted in India to date.
Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world champion, had confirmed on Monday that he had invited Nadeem, his good friend and rival, to the event.
While the Olympic champions will be missing, NC Classic will still feature a stellar international field.
Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Neeraj Chopra And Arshad Nadeem’s Mothers Celebrate Across Borders
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Thomas Rohler of Germany, Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist and 2015 world champion Julius Yego of Kenya and current world leader Curtis Thompson of the USA have all confirmed their participation.
Ahead of the highly anticipated NC Classic event, the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Chopra is set to compete at the Doha Diamond League on May 16. He started his 2025 season with a win at the Potch Invitational in Potchefstroom, South Africa. The NC Classic will be his first competition on home soil since the 2024 Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar.
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