Neeraj Chopra Clarifies Invitation to Arshad Nadeem Amid Media Pressure

Indian Olympic javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, fearing backlash from the Indian media and public, seems to have forgotten the essence of sportsmanship, as he is now forced to justify his invitation to Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem.PCB Slaps One-Year Ban on Corbin Bosch for PSL Withdrawal

According to Roznama Jang, Neeraj Chopra had personally invited Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem to the Javelin Throw event in Bengaluru. However, two days prior, Arshad Nadeem declined the invitation due to his busy schedule, citing his commitments to the Asian Athletics Championship as the reason for his inability to attend.

Following the Pahalgam incident, Neeraj Chopra took to social media to clarify his decision to invite Arshad Nadeem. In an attempt to garner sympathy from Indians, he condemned the Pahalgam incident, calling it deeply painful. Chopra stated, “The invitation to Arshad Nadeem was extended long before the Pahalgam incident. I stand by my words, but that doesn’t mean I will stay silent if something wrong happens.”

He further added, “There has been a lot of criticism and hate regarding my decision to invite Arshad Nadeem to the Neeraj Chopra Classic. The invitation was purely from one athlete to another.” Chopra emphasized that after the events of the last 48 hours, the question of Arshad Nadeem’s participation in the event no longer arises, stating, “The country and its interests come first.”

It is worth noting that the Neeraj Chopra Classic is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru from May 22, while Arshad Nadeem had already committed to the Asian Athletics Championship. Previously, Nadeem expressed his gratitude to Chopra for the invitation but respectfully declined because of prior commitments.