Claiming that he ‘did not have a very strong relationship’ with the reigning Olympic champion from Pakistan, Arshad Nadeem, Neeraj Chopra said if anyone talks with him ‘respectfully’, he will reciprocate in the same way. The twice Olympic and World Championship medallist was asked about his relationship with Nadeem, which has come under scrutiny after the Pahalgam terror attacks and the subsequent conflict between India and Pakistan. Speaking at a media conference in Doha, ahead of Friday’s Diamond League, Chopra said: “First of all, I really wanted to (make it) clear that I didn’t have a very strong relationship (with Nadeem). As athletes, we have to talk, and I have some good friends in the athletics community and from all around the world. Not just javelin throwers but also other events. But yeah, if someone talks to me respectfully, I also talk to them respectfully.” Chopra and Nadeem have dominated the javelin world in the last few years. At the Tokyo Olympics, Chopra became the first Indian to win a track-and-field gold medal while Nadeem finished fifth. Last year at the Paris Games, Nadeem shattered the Olympic record to win Pakistan’s first gold medal outside hockey while Chopra clinched the silver medal. The duo is unlikely to go head-to-head anytime soon this year, with Chopra opting for Diamond League and another meet in Poland to kick off his season while Nadeem choosing to take part in the Asian Championships. Last month, Chopra had issued a strong statement, saying he received hate and abuse over inviting Nadeem for the now-postponed NC Classic, and his family had also been at the receiving end. “There has been so much talk about my decision to invite Arshad Nadeem to compete in the Neeraj Chopra Classic, and most of it has been hate and abuse,” Chopra had said. “They haven’t even left my family out of it. The invitation I extended to Arshad was from one athlete to another — nothing more, nothing less. The aim of the NC Classic was to bring the best athletes to India and for our country to be the home of world-class sporting events. Invites had gone out to all athletes two days before the terrorist attacks at Pahalgam. After all that has taken place over the last 48 hours, Arshad’s presence at the NC Classic was completely out of the question.”
