'Arshad Nadeem's presence at the NC Classic was completely out of the question, my country and its interests will always come first': Neeraj Chopra

India's double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra breaks silence over the recent controversy surrounding the invitation extended to Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem for the NC Classic event. The 27-year-old India's Javelin star clarified that the invitation was sent well before the tragic terrorist attack in Pahalgam and expressed deep anguish over the wave of hate and abuse directed at him and his family since then.

Neeraj took his social media to address the issue. "It has been incredibly painful," he wrote, urging people to understand the context and show compassion.

In his post, Neeraj Chopra said, "I am usually a man of few words, but that doesn't mean I will stay silent when I see something wrong-especially when my love for the country and the honour of my family are being questioned."

"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. 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. Invites had gone out to all athletes on Monday, two days before the terrorist attacks at Pahalgam" wrote Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj said that he has received a lot of hate and abuse for his decision to invite Arshad Nadeem to Neeraj Chopra Classic event and his family has also been unfairly dragged into the controversy.

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The Paris Olympics silver medallist clarified that he sent an invitation to Nadeem two days before the Pahalgam attack, and that after tragic incident, Nadeem's participation in the event is now completely out of the question.

"After all that has taken place over the last 48 hours, Arshad's presence at the NC Classic was completely out of the question. My country and its interests will always come first. To those that are going through the loss of their people, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Along with the entire nation, I am both hurt and angry at what has taken place" wrote Neeraj Chopra.

The Neeraj Chopra Classic Javelin event is scheduled to take place on May 24 in Bengaluru's Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Awarded Gold Label status by World Athletics, it now holds the distinction of being the highest-rated athletics meet ever hosted in India.