The Tokyo Olympics gold-medallist and Paris Olympics silver-medallist has copped criticism for inviting Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem to the Neeraj Chopra Classic, an event scheduled to be held next month in Bengaluru.
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“I am deeply pained by the turn of events. This (hate and abuse) is uncalled for. Neeraj has time and again proved to the country that he is a proud son of India. He has brought so many laurels for the country. When some people start questioning your integrity, then it certainly hurts you,” he told TOI.
“It’s natural for anyone to express any anguish when his or her family is targeted for unnecessary reasons. Neeraj has already expressed his views on his social media accounts. He was pained. The whole Chopra family stands by him,” he added.
The social media abuse and hate has only gathered momentum since the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 which claimed lives of 26 people and injured several others.
In the statement on Friday morning, world champion Chopra came out strongly at the abuse. Self-confessed “man of few words”, Neeraj expressed deep hurt at having his integrity questioned and emphasised his commitment towards his nation. He mentioned that he was particularly hurt by his family being subjected to unnecessary hate and abuse.
“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,” Neeraj stated on his social media account.
He reiterated that the invitation was simply a gesture from one athlete to another and that the main goal of the NC Classic is to bring top athletes to India.
He clarified that invitations for the event had gone out on Monday, two days before the Pahalgam terrorist attack After the attack, Neeraj noted, the participation of the Paris Olympic gold medallist Nadeem was out of question.
Neeraj lamented the shifting opinions and false narratives being spread, following the attack. “I have carried my 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 don’t 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 doesn’t make it true.”
“When my mother — in her simplicity — had made an innocent comment a year ago, there was an outpouring of praise for her views. Today, the same people haven’t held back from targeting her for that very same statement. I, meanwhile, will work even harder to ensure that the world remembers India and looks at it with envy and respect for all the right reasons,” he said, pointing out the inconsistency of people’s reactions.
Nadeem had announced on Wednesday his inability to participate in the the NC Classic (May 24) anyway, attributing his absence to prior commitments at the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea.
The 28-year-old from Khanewal, Pakistan, conveyed that he will take part in the Asian meet, which is scheduled from May 27-31, and will depart on May 22 to continue his training programme in the venue city of Gumi.