Srinagar: India superstar athlete Neeraj Chopra has invited Pakistan’s Olympic Gold medalist Javellin thrower Arshad Nadeem for the participation in the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic — a javelin event named in his honour — scheduled to take place on May 24, 2025, in Bengaluru.
As per reports the star-studded inaugural event will feature former world champions Anderson Peters and Julius Yego, 2016 Olympic gold medalist Thomas Röhler, and American athlete Curtis Thompson, among others.
Arshad Nadeem, who made history by winning Pakistan’s first-ever individual gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a throw of 92.97m — beating defending champion Neeraj Chopra — has also been invited to participate, according to Indian media reports.
Despite the political tension between India and Pakistan, which has led to the suspension of bilateral cricket and other games, athletes from both nations continue to face off in international sporting events like the Olympics.
However, participation in sports events hosted in each other’s countries is subject to government clearance.
“I have sent invitation to Arshad and he said he will get back to me after discussing with his coach. As of now he is yet to confirm participation,” Chopra was quoted as saying.
“His participation will depend on government clearance. Once everything is finalised, we’ll know the full list.” he added.
Chopra expressed his long-term vision for the event, saying, “This is going to be an annual event and we are going to expand it to include more disciplines in upcoming editions.”
“People will get to see top throwers competing right in front of their eyes. It would be a major boost for local talent, who will get to perform against the best athletes.” he added.
Chopra, who won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and settled for silver behind Nadeem in Paris 2024, remains hopeful about his Pakistani rival’s participation, though it remains unconfirmed for now.