How Neeraj Chopra made fan’s wish come true with all expenses paid trip for inaugural NC Classic

The NC Classic was postponed from its original May 24 date last month due to the India-Pakistan cross-border conflict last month.

Hi, Ranjith. You've got a full VVIP experience waiting for you in Bengaluru because your trip to the @nc_classic is on me! 😊

And thanks to @RadissonHotels, you'll be staying about 90 metres away from me. See you soon! 😉 https://t.co/aQvkNEnLry

— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) June 27, 2025

Some of the world’s top stars are set to line up for the event at the Kanteerava Stadium next month. Former World Champions Anderson Peters and Julius Yego, as well as Rio 2016 champion Thomas Rohler, were among the international stars confirmed to participate in the event. Neeraj had also reached out to the reigning Olympic champion, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who later opted out of the event.

Neeraj, in a press conference last month, had said hosting this event, which was given Category A status by World Athletics, was a dream come true for him. “People always ask me about what next after the Olympics, World Championships, Diamond League, etc. All my medals are special and are kept at home. It’s great that I have won those. But, this… hosting such an event, I actually feel that I have given something back to Indian athletics,” he had said. Originally, Neeraj had said Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem was invited, just as most of the top javelin throwers in the world were. But he issued a statement later saying Nadeem’s participation was out of question after the events of Pahalgam where 26 civilians were killed in the terrorist attack on April 22.