New Delhi, April 24 (H.S.): Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem has refused to participate in Neeraj Chopra's javelin event 'NC Classic'. He made this decision prioritizing his preparations for the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships. However, he expressed gratitude to Neeraj for the invitation.

Arshad Nadeem will be absent from the 'Neeraj Chopra Classic' scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on May 24.

Nadeem stated in a statement on Wednesday, “The NC Classic event is from May 20 to 24, while I am leaving for Korea on May 22.” He is concentrating on preparations for the Asian Athletics Championships taking place in Gumi, South Korea from May 27 to 31.

Earlier on Monday, Neeraj Chopra mentioned in a conversation with the media that he had personally invited Arshad.

Neeraj said, “I sent an invitation to Arshad. He said he would talk to his coach and then respond.”

The first edition of the 'Neeraj Chopra Classic' will see participation from several renowned athletes. The inclusion of two-time World Champion Anderson Peters from Grenada, Germany's 2016 Olympic gold medalist Thomas Rohler, Kenya's 2016 Rio Olympic silver medalist Julius Yego, and the current season leader from the USA, Curtis Thompson (87.76 meters), has been confirmed.

This prestigious event is being organized by Neeraj Chopra and JSW Sports in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World Athletics.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar