Neeraj Chopra, the double Olympic medalist, has responded to the ‘hate and abuse’ hurled at him for inviting his Pakistan counter-part Arshad Nadeem to the inaugural edition of NC Classic.
Chopra, the organizer behind the first-of-its-kind event clarified that, following the terror attack at Pahalgam, Nadeem’s participation in the event was out-of-question.
He, however, questioned the people the hate towards him, clarifying that he will always work towards glorifying the country with accolades.
“I am usually a man of few words, but that does not mean I will not speak up against what I think is wrong. More so, when it comes to questioning my love for our country, and the respect and honour of my family,” Neeraj wrote in a statement on X.
“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 have not even left my family out of it. Invitation extended to Arshad was from one athlete to another – nothing more, nothing less. The aim of NC Classic was to bring the best athletes to India and for our country to be home of world class sporting events. Invites had gone out to all the athletes on Monday, two days before the terrorist attack in Pahalgam,” Neeraj, who became India’s only Olympic and World Championships gold medallist in 2021 and 2023, wrote further.
“After all that has taken place over the last 48 hours, Arshad’s presence at the NC Classic was completely out of question. My country and its interest will always come first,” the javelin thrower emphasised.
“To those that are going through the loss of their people, my thoughts and prayer with you. Along with the entire nation, I am both hurt angry at what has taken place. I am confident that our country’s response will show our strength as a nation and justice will be served,” he wrote further.
“It Pains Me That I Have To Explain Myself To People”
“I am carried by country with pride for so many years now, and so it hurts to see my integrity being questioned. It pains me that I have to explain myself to people who are targeting me and my family with no good reason. We are simple people, please do not make us out to be anything else. There are so many false narratives that certain sections of the media have created around me, but just because I do not speak up, it does not mean it is true,” Neeraj lashed out at the hatemongers.
“I also find it difficult to understand how people switch opinions. When my mother — in her simplicity — made an innocent comment a year ago, there was an outpouring of praise for her views. Today, the same people have not held back from targeting her for that very same statement,” he added in a statement.
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