The maiden edition of Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin throw event on May 24 has been shifted from Panchkula to Bengaluru due to inadequate lighting at the original venue for live telecast but the field will be teeming with stars as the likes of Anderson Peters and Thomas Rohler have confirmed their participation. Peters, who hails from Grenada, is a two-time world champion and Rohler is the gold-medallist from the 2016 Olympics. Chopra said he has also invited Pakistani Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem who is, however, yet to confirm participation.
“I have sent invitation to Arshad and he said he will get back to me after discussing with his coach. As of now he is yet to confirm participation,” Chopra told reporters in a virtual media interaction on Monday.
The competition has been granted category A status by World Athletics, which has also changed the venue of the event on its calendar.
“I wanted the event in Panchkula but there are certain issues related to lighting (floodlight) at the stadium there. World Athletics requirement is 600 lux (a measure of the intensity of light) for international broadcast, which is not there (in Panchkula) and it will take time (to install it),” he said.
“So for this year we have decided to shift the event to Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. I have spoken to Karnataka chief minister. We have the JSW team there to take care of every aspect in organising the event successfully. I feel the evening weather in Bengaluru would be perfect for the event, for the athletes and the fans,” Chopra said.
“Our endeavour is to give best experience to the fans and best hospitality to foreign participants,” said the 27-year-old who is also supported by Bengaluru-based JSW Sports.
The event will be jointly organised by Chopra and JSW Sports in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World Athletics, featuring top global as well as Indian javelin throwers.
“I’m very much involved in the organisation of the event. It’s a long-standing dream for me to organise this kind of event in India. It’s dream true for me,” said the athlete from Haryana’s Khandra village who became Indian athletic’s first gold medal winner in the Olympics in Tokyo before adding a silver in Paris.
“I am very excited. I have won Olympic and other medals for the country. Now with this event, I am giving back something to Indian athletics, to Indian athletes and the fans.” Besides Peters, who also won a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Rohler, the participation of Kenyan Julius Yego, a silver-medallist in the 2016 Rio Olympics besides being a 2015 World Championships gold winner, and American Curtis Thompson, who is the current season leader with 87.76m, has also been confirmed.
“A few more European athletes will be added. A Brazilian, who qualified for the final in (Paris Olympics) has also confirmed participation,” Chopra said without giving the name, though it could be Luiz da Silva, who finished 11th in Paris with a best throw of 80.67m.
“I am also competing. Three to four Indians will be competing, I spoke to Rohit (Yadav) yesterday. It will be a very good opportunity for Indians to get ranking points for World Championships in Tokyo (in September).” He said his current coach Jan Zelezny, the legendary world record holder, suggested that the event should be named after the Indian superstar.
“I was talking to Zelezny about this event and he said that it would be good if it is named after me. I was also inspired by some events organised by famous athletes and themselves participating like Mondo Classic and Kip Keino Classic,” he said.
Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi is named after the Kenyan distance-running legend Kipchoge Keino while pole vault legend Armando Duplantis of Sweden organises Mondo Classic, both World Athletics Continental Tour events.
Chopra said the NC Classic will be an annual competition and he is hoping that events other than javelin will be added in the future.
“I wanted to state that this event will be an annual affair. As of now, it will be just a men’s javelin event. But in future, I am hoping other events will also be added.
“We (India) are good at long jump (men and women), 3000m steeplechase, and we can add these event in future. The men’s 100m is doing well, the timing is getting better and better.
“It was a surprise for me that this event got World Athletics A category. We will try to bring a Diamond League Meeting in India. We have the stadium to host DL Meetings, and it will be good for World Athletics also to spread athletics. World Athletics knows that athletics is growing in India.” The fans will need to buy tickets to watch the NC Classic javelin event.
“There will be tickets for the event, different prices for different seats and blocks. But we will try that the ticket price is not too much. The fans should feel the ticket price is worth the enjoyment of watching the event,” said Chopra.
Chopra started his season on a high by winning the Potch Invitational Track event in Potchefstroom, South Africa on April 16 with a throw of 84.52m.
His next event will be the Doha leg of the Diamond League Meetings on May 16.
“I have never gone into such details, whether floodlights are adequate for live telecasting, whether the washrooms and changing rooms are comfortable for international javelin throwers, etc. I’ve never considered such things while playing,” said Chopra on his involvement in organising the event.
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