In what appears to be a sporting fallout of strained diplomatic ties, Pakistan’s javelin ace Arshad Nadeem has declined an invitation from Indian Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra to compete at the Bengaluru Classic Javelin Throw Championship—an outcome many link to India’s recent refusal to send athletes to Pakistan for regional events.
According to sources close to Arshad, his training and competition schedule for the year had already been finalized prior to the invitation. As a result, he expressed his inability to travel to India for the event.
Neeraj Chopra had extended a personal invitation to Arshad Nadeem, aiming to bring top-tier javelin talent together at the Bengaluru meet. However, Arshad’s preparations for the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships, scheduled to be held in South Korea later in May, have taken priority.
Arshad is set to leave for South Korea on May 22, as the Asian Athletics Championships are scheduled to begin on May 27.