Neeraj Chopra Asks People Not To Further Their Propaganda Over His Comment On Pakistani Javelin Thrower Arshad Nadeem Using His Javelin

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India, 26 August 2021: Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra on Thursday requested people not to ‘further their propaganda’ by blowing his comment regarding Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem out of proportion.
In an interview recently, the 23-year-old had earlier said that he could not find his javelin initially at the finals of the quadrennial event of the Tokyo Olympics as Nadeem was ‘moving around’ with it before his first throw.

“I was searching for my javelin at the start of the final. I was not able to find it. Suddenly, I saw Arshad Nadeem was moving around with my javelin. Then I told him, ‘Bhai give this javelin to me, it is my javelin! I have to throw with it’. He gave it back to me. That’s why you must have seen I took my first throw hurriedly,” Chopra said in an interview with The Times of India.

Chopra’s statement created a stir on social media with some fans even claiming that the Pakistani athlete was trying to ‘tamper’ with Chopra’s javelin.

“I would request everyone to please not use me and my comments as a medium to further your vested interests and propaganda. Sports teaches us to be together and united. I’m extremely disappointed to see some of the reactions from the public on my recent comments,” Chopra tweeted on Thursday along with a video.

“I want to talk about something I said in an interview recently. I had talked about how I had taken my javelin before a throw in the Tokyo Olympics finals from Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem. Now, this has been turned into a huge issue for no reason. Javelin throwers keep their own javelins at a single place before any event. All athletes can use them. That is the rule. So, it was not wrong of Nadeem to practise with my javelin,” Chopra said in the video.

“I am saddened that people are distorting my comment and using my name. Sports is something that teaches us to be together and all javelin throwers share mutual respect and love. So, please don’t say hurtful things,” he further said.

Chopra won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, achieving a distance of 87.03m.