Neeraj Chopra invites Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem to India for first-ever..., event to take place at...

India’s Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra is set to headline a special one-day javelin event in May 2024. The event will take place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru and is being organised by JSW Sports in honour of Neeraj himself.

Top javelin throwers from around the world have been invited to take part, including Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem. Neeraj and Arshad have shared a healthy rivalry and friendship over the years, competing together at several international events.

Speaking to reporters on April 21, Neeraj said, “Yes, I have spoken to Arshad Nadeem. He said he’ll discuss it with his coach and confirm. But he hasn’t confirmed yet.” Neeraj also added that participation from some athletes may involve government approvals and final confirmations will be announced soon.

Some of the big names who have already agreed to participate include Anderson Peters (two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist), Thomas Rohler (former Olympic champion), Yulius Yego (Olympic medallist and former world champion), and Curtis Thompson (current world leader from the USA). Several other elite athletes from Europe and across the world are also expected.

Originally, the event was supposed to be held at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, Haryana. However, Neeraj explained that the stadium did not have enough lighting for live broadcast. “The lighting there was 600 lux, but we needed more. There wasn’t enough time to fix it, so we had to move the event,” he said.

Neeraj also revealed that he only spoke to the media after receiving positive support from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding the event.

The Bengaluru meet is expected to be a historic day for javelin in India, as the sport continues to gain popularity, inspired by Neeraj’s success on the world stage.