Bengaluru gears up for Neeraj Chopra classic

The maiden edition of Neeraj Chopra Classic javelin throw event on May 24 has been shifted from Panchkula to Bengaluru due to lack of adequate lighting at the original venue but the field will be teeming with stars as the likes of Anderson Peters and Thomas Rohler have confirmed their participation.

Peters, who hails from Grenada, is a two-time world champion and Rohler is the gold-medallist from the 2016 Olympics. Chopra said he has also invited Pakistani Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem who is, however, yet to confirm participation.

"I have sent invitation to Arshad and he said he will get back to me after discussing with his coach. As of now he is yet to confirm participation," Chopra told reporters in a virtual media interaction.

The competition has been granted category A status by World Athletics.

"I wanted the event in Panchkula but there are certain issues related to lighting at the stadium there. World Athletics requirement is 600 lux (a measure of the intensity of light), which is not there (in Panchkula) and it will take time (to install it)," he said.

"So, we have decided to shift the event to Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. We have a team there and it will be lot easier for the event to be staged there," said the 27-year-old who is also supported by Bengaluru-based JSW Sports.

The event will be jointly organised by Chopra and JSW Sports in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World Athletics, featuring top global as well as Indian javelin throwers.

Besides Peters, who also won a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Rohler, the participation of Kenyan Julius Yego, a silver-medallist in the 2016 Rio Olympics besides being a 2015 World Championships gold winner, and American Curtis Thompson, who is the current season leader with 87.76m, has also been confirmed.

"A Brazilian, who qualified for the final in (Paris Olympics) has also confirmed participation," Chopra said without giving name, though it could be Luiz da Silva, who finished 11th in Paris with a best throw of 80.67m.

"I'm very much involved in the organisation of the event, which is a dream come true for me. I am also competing. Yesterday, I spoke to Rohit (Yadav) and three to four Indians will be competing. It will be a very good opportunity to get ranking points for World Championships in Tokyo (in September)." He said his current coach Jan Zelezny, the legendary world record holder, suggested that the event should be named after the Indian superstar.

"I was talking to Zelezny about this event and he said that it would be good if it is named after me.

"I am very excited. I have won Olympic and other medals for the country. Now with this event, I am giving back something to Indian athletics, to Indian athletes and the fans." He said the NC Classic will be an annual competition and he is hoping that events other than javelin will be added in the future.

"I wanted to state that this event will be an annual affair. As of now, it will be just a men's javelin event. But in future, I am hoping that women's event and other events will also be added.

"If you ask me, I want a Diamond League Meeting to be held in India. We have the stadium to host DL Meetings, and it will be good for World Athletics also to spread athletics. World Athletics knows that athletics is growing in India." The fans will need to buy tickets to watch the NC Classic javelin event.

"There will be tickets for the event, for different boxes. But we will try that the ticket price is not too much. The fans should feel the ticket price is worth the enjoyment of watching the event," said Chopra.