Chopra draws criticism for Nadeem invite

New Delhi: Indian javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra on Friday said he has been bombarded with “hate and abuse” for inviting Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem to next month’s NC Classic in Bengaluru, clarifying that the Olympic champion’s presence was “completely out of question” in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and Paris Games silver-winning star from Haryana said he was deeply hurt to see his and his family’s integrity being questioned in abusive social media posts.

“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,” Chopra, who is a Subedar Major in the Indian Army, said in a

lengthy post on X.