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After the Pahalgam attack, the NC Classic got national attention as an invitation was sent to Arshad Nadeem as well, besides several other overseas athletes.
Neeraj Chopra has been subject to hate after inviting Arshad Nadeem to his event (Picture credit: AFP)
Rio Olympics silver medallist javelin thrower Julius Yego has said that it is a ‘shame’ that the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a latest event on the World Athletics calendar named after the star Indian athlete, will not see the participation of Paris Olympics gold medallist Arshad Nadeem, who rejected an invitation citing other commitments, days after the Pahalgam attack.
After the attack, the NC Classic got national attention as an invitation was sent to Nadeem as well.
Neeraj was on the receiving end of criticism from fans, who felt that he ignored national sentiments.
Yego, who will be taking part in the event in Bengaluru later this month, expressed his disappointment at the absence of Nadeem.
“I feel for Nadeem! It could have been so nice for him to compete there (at Neeraj Chopra Classic). To me, it’s a loss to the big sport. I also feel for Neeraj because he has tried his best to have him come, but situations didn’t allow it to happen,” Yego said while speaking to Livemint.
“So it’s a shame we will not have the Olympic champion (Arshad) competing in this very important event by Chopra in India,” Yego added.
Besides Yego, Grenada’s Anderson Peters, Germany’s Thomas Rohler, USA’s Curtis Thompson, Japan’s Genki Dean, Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva and Sri Lanka’s Ramesh Pathirage are the other overseas competitors at the NC Classic.
“This is a very good idea by Neeraj to have this competition in India, and being a pioneer of the same is a big salute and happy for him,” Yego said.
“For Neeraj to organise this big event in India is a big step to making the sport popular in places perceived to be less popular, like Africa/Kenya in particular and now India, which has made this sport very popular,” Yego added.
Meanwhile, Nadeem’s Instagram account has been blocked in India due to a “legal request” in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.
Users attempting to access Nadeem’s Instagram page from India are met with the message: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
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