Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has firmly replied to the critics who accused him of not being patriotic when he invited Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem to the forthcoming Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru. Chopra made it clear that the invitation was issued two days before the horrific Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people lost their lives and further strained relations between India and Pakistan.
He spoke of great pain regarding the tide of hate and abuse hurled against him and his family, declaring, "I am normally a man of few words, but that does not mean I will not say something about what I believe is wrong. More so when it comes to challenging my love for our country, and the respect and honour of my family.".
Chopra underlined that his gesture was sporting in nature, adding that the invitation was made from "one athlete to another—nothing more, nothing less."
He added that the purpose of the NC Classic was to get the world's best sportspersons to India and raise the profile of the country as a host of international sporting events. "Please don't make us out to be anything else.". We are ordinary people," he explained, noting the invites were sent to all the athletes on Monday, days before the Pahalgam attack.
After the attack, Arshad Nadeem rejected the invitation, claiming a conflict of scheduling with training for the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, so his participation "completely out of the question" at present. Chopra's words follow as a stand in defense of his integrity and a reminder that, to him, "country comes first," and that the camaraderie of sport ought not to be confused with politics or national security issues.
He called on people to exercise understanding and compassion and not to pull athletes or their families into controversies of a political nature.
