News

Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra stated that the invitation to Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan for the NC Classic was only from one athlete to another and that it is painful to witness his moral character being called into question for inviting a competitor from the other side of the border just before the Pahalgam terror attack.

Neeraj stated that he finds it painful to witness his family and himself being mistreated and having their moral character being questioned.

Neeraj invited Nadeem, who had won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, to the first Neeraj Chopra Classic, which will take place in Bengaluru on Saturday, May 24.

“I usually am a man of few words, but that doesn’t mean I will not speak up against what I think is wrong. More so when it comes to questioning my love for our country and the respect and honour of my family," Neeraj posted on X on Friday morning.

“There has been so much talk about my decision to invite Arshad Nadeem to compete in the Neeraj Chopra Classic, and most of it has been hate and abuse. They haven’t even left my family out of it," Neeraj said.

“The invitation I extended to Arshad was from one athlete to another, nothing more, nothing less. The NC Classic aimed to bring the best athletes to India and for our country to be the home of world-class sporting events," Neeraj added.

Due to other obligations and the upcoming Asian Athletics Championship, Nadeem rejected the invite.

Neeraj stated that the invitations were sent out on Monday, two days before to the terror assault in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 tourists.

Given all that had transpired over the past two days, Neeraj stated that Nadeem's involvement was completely out of the question.

Neeraj, an armyman and one of India's most celebrated athletes, said it is painful to have his moral character being questioned.

Neeraj brought up his mother's remarks about Nadeem, describing him as her child after the latter won the Paris gold, to illustrate how people's perspectives may change.

“I also find it difficult to understand how people switch opinions. When my mother, in her simplicity, had made an innocent comment a year ago, there was an outpouring of praise for her views," Neeraj said.

#trending_election_widget{

width: 930px;

margin: 20px auto 20px;

padding: 15px 25px 15px 20px;

background: #F7F8FB;

}

#trending_election_widget .cust-scroll{ max-height: 93px; overflow-y:auto; scrollbar-color: #d5e0e5 transparent !important; scrollbar-width: thin; scrollbar-height: thin;}

#trending_election_widget .Electioncarousel{

width:100%;

margin:5px auto 0 0;

}

#trending_election_widget .Electioncarousel{text-align:center;display: flex;flex-wrap: wrap;}

#trending_election_widget .Electioncarousel a{ white-space: nowrap;text-wrap: nowrap;padding:8px 15px;border:1px solid #CECECE;border-radius: 20px;margin:5px 4px;height:36px;text-decoration: none;}

#trending_election_widget .Electioncarousel a:hover, #trending_election_widget .Electioncarousel a:focus{outline:none;}

#trending_election_widget .Electioncarousel .slick-slide{

margin:10px 3px;text-align: left;width: auto;}

#trending_election_widget .Electioncarousel a span{font:400 13px "Lato", sans-serif;color:#333333;display: block;text-transform: capitalize;}

#trending_election_widget .lhs_txt{display: inline-block;font:900 20px/24px "Lato", sans-serif;color:#000;text-transform: uppercase;padding-bottom: 12px;

border-bottom: 3px solid #CECECE;width:100%;}

#trending_election_widget .cust-scroll::-webkit-scrollbar {height:6px; width:6px; background-color: transparent; border-radius:5px;}

#trending_election_widget .cust-scroll::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb {background-color: #d5e0e5; border-radius:5px;}

@media screen and (max-width:980px){

#trending_election_widget{width:auto; padding: 15px 12px 5px 12px;margin: 10px auto 20px;}

#trending_election_widget .lhs_txt{font:700 16px/19px "Lato", sans-serif;}

#trending_election_widget .Electioncarousel a span{font:400 11px/10px "Lato", sans-serif;}

#trending_election_widget .Electioncarousel a{padding:8px 12px;height:auto;}

#trending_election_widget .cust-scroll{max-height: 118px;}

#trending_election_widget .cust-scroll::-webkit-scrollbar { width:9px;}

}

${res.must_watch_article[0].headline}

Sensex Today RIL Q4 Results 2025 Jammu Kashmir News Live CSK vs SRH Live Score Chris Wood HDFC Securities Asaduddin Owaisi Manipur HS Result KTET Result 2025 IPL Points Table 2025

Business Markets Stocks India News City News Economy Mutual Funds Personal Finance IPO News Startups

Home Currencies Commodities Pre-Market IPO Global Market Bonds

Home Loans up to 50 Lakhs Credit Cards Lifetime Free Finance TrackerNew Fixed Deposits Fixed Deposit Comparison Fixed Income

Home MC 30 Top Ranked Funds ETFs Mutual Fund Screener

Income Tax Calculator EMI Calculator Retirement Planning Gratuity Calculator

Stock Markets

News18 Firstpost CNBC TV18 News18 Hindi Cricketnext Overdrive Topper Learning

About Us Contact Us Advisory Alert Advertise with Us SupportDisclaimer Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms & Conditions Financial Terms (Glossary) Sitemap Investors

You are already a Moneycontrol Pro user.