Star Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra expressed astonishment that his rival from across the border Arshad Nadeem is struggling to get a new javelin, given his standing in the world of athletics.
Pakistan's ace javelin exponent Nadeem had won the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham with a massive 90.18m throw. He had bagged the bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games where Chopra had clinched the top spot.
While Chopra, the Olympic and world champion, and Nadeem are fierce competitors on the field, they are known for their camaraderie off the pitch.
"It is hard to believe that he has been struggling to get a new javelin. Given his credentials, this should not be a big issue at all," Chopra told SAI Media on Monday.
Nadeem recently said he has been struggling to acquire an international-standard javelin for several years and expressed his frustration about that.
"It has now got to a stage where the javelin is damaged and I have asked the national federation and my coach to do something about it before the Paris Olympics," Nadeem had said recently.
"When I started off in 2015, competing in international events I got this javelin … for an international athlete aiming to win a medal in the Olympic Games, you need proper equipment and training facilities," Nadeem added.
Chopra said Nadeem should get all the support from the Pakistan government.
"It can't be that he (Nadeem) doesn't have the means to buy a javelin. He is a champion and must be doing some brand endorsements. I reckon he has earned a bit of money too.
"But having said that, his government can look at Arshad's (Nadeem) need and support him just like how my government is doing so," said Chopra, who is supported by the government's Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS).
"Additionally, Arshad Nadeem is a top javelin thrower and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he wants. This is a piece of advice from my side," said Chopra.
Nadeem had undergone an elbow operation in the UK in December 2022. Last year, he again underwent a knee surgery and skipped the Hangzhou Asian Games, where Chopra won the gold.