Pakistani gold medallist Arshad Nadeem (proper) celebrates together with his medal on the rostrum alongside silver medallist Neeraj Chopra of India on the Paris 2024 Olympics Males’s Javelin Throw Victory Ceremony at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on August 09, 2024. — Reuters
India’s Olympic javelin gold medallist Neeraj Chopra stated it was now “completely out of the question” that rival Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan will attend his meet in Bengaluru subsequent month following a lethal assault in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Relations between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan have plummeted to their lowest degree in years after the killing of 26 vacationers on Wednesday.
A day earlier than the assault, Chopra had introduced that the world’s high throwers, together with Paris Olympics champion Nadeem, had been invited to the primary Neeraj Chopra Basic on Could 24, an occasion he hoped would pave the best way for a Diamond League meet in India at some point.
Nonetheless, the assault in IIOJK prompted heavy criticism of Chopra’s resolution to ask Nadeem, despite the fact that it was unlikely the Pakistan thrower was going to attend.
“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,” Chopra, who gained gold in Tokyo and silver in Paris, stated in a social media publish on Friday.
“The invitation I extended to Arshad was from one athlete to another — nothing more, nothing less. The aim of the NC Classic was to bring the best athletes to India and for our country to be the home of world-class sporting events.
“In spite of everything that has taken place over the past 48 hours, Arshad’s presence on the NC Basic was fully out of the query.”
Media reviews stated Nadeem, Pakistan’s first particular person Olympic gold medallist, had opted to not attend the Bengaluru meet, which clashed together with his coaching schedule for the Asian Championships in South Korea subsequent month.
The soured relations between the 2 nations additionally spilled over to the sports activities world earlier this yr when India’s cricket crew refused to journey to Pakistan for the Worldwide Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophy and performed all their matches, together with the March 9 closing, in Dubai.
