Pakistan's Olympic medallist Arshad Nadeem on Wednesday (April 23) said that he has turned down Neeraj Chopra's invite to take part in the upcoming Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin event scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on May 24, 2025.

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Nadeem's decision comes amidst escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, but the 28-year-old attributed his decision to his training schedule for the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships.

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Expressing gratitude to Chopra for including him in the event, Nadeem said, "The NC Classic event is on May 24 May, while I have to fly to Korea on May 22 for the Asian Athletics Championship."

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Sources close to development of matter say that Nadeem is involved in rigorous training at Lahore these days as he sets out to take part in the Asian Athletics Championship that will be held in South Korea from May 27.

Neeraj sent an invitation to Nadeem 

Earlier on Monday (April 21), Chopra said that Nadeem has been invited to compete in the inaugural event, which is being organised by Neeraj Chopra.

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"I have invited Arshad, and he has informed me that he will call me back after consulting his coach. So far, he has not confirmed participation," Chopra said in an interview with the media.

During the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Pakistani star had won Gold edal with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m, defeating Chopra, who threw 89.45m, who won Silver medal.