The organisers of the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic – a gold level javelin meet to be held in Bengaluru are looking for a slot somewhere in July, 2025, Livemint has learnt.
The first-of-it’s-kind javelin competition was scheduled to be held at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium on May 24. However, it had to be postponed due to India-Pakistan tensions.
Approved as an ‘A’ category event, and jointly co-organised by World Athletics and Athletics Federation of India, the Neeraj Chopra Classic will be the top-tier international event hosted by India.
However, in the aftermath of ‘Operation Sindoor’, the organisers decided to postpone the event for an indefinite period. “In light of the current situation, the inaugural edition of the NC Classic stands postponed until further notice,” a statement from the organisers read.
“This decision has been made after careful thought and consultation, with the well-being of athletes, stakeholders and the broader community as the top priority,” it added.
However, according to this website’s sources, the organisers are looking for a date in July. If that doesn’t work out, the Neeraj Chopra Classic will be pushed to next year. “Still trying to find a day in July if possible and if there are no days then maybe next year,” a source, close to the developments, told this website.
Neeraj Chopra Classic – Full list of participants
Named after Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, Paris Games silver medallist and reigning world champion, Neeraj Chopra, the 27-year-old will headline the event which will also have some of the biggest names.
Anderson Peters of Grenada (two-time world champion), Thomas Rohler (Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist) of Germany, and Julius Yego of Kenya (2015 world champion and Rio 2016 silver medallist) have already signed up for the event.
Other foreign stars include, Curtis Thompson of the USA, Japan’s Genki Dean, Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage. However, Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem is the notable absentee from the list. Among the Indians, Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Jena, Rohit Yadav, Sachin Yadav and Sahil Silwal will rub shoulders with the international stars.