India's Golden boy, Neeraj Chopra has come out to clarify about a statement that he gave during a recent interview about Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem. A few netizens started accusing Nadeem of 'stealing' or 'tampering' with Neeraj's javelin after he told about the incident of Nadeem taking his javelin.
Neeraj Chopra has come out in defence of his fellow javelin thrower from Pakistan saying that there was nothing wrong in what Nadeem did on the field. His actions fall in the category of 'rules' of javelin throw and that people stop using the statement for their own 'interests and propaganda."
Neeraj Chopra tweeted a video with caption:"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."
Check out the video here:
In the video, Neeraj says, "I want to say that, one issue has come up about something I said in an interview; that, I took the javelin from Arshad Nadeem, the Pakistani javelin thrower. So, a huge controversy is being created around this statement.
"It's a very simple thing. We (Javelin throwers) keep our personal javelins at the field and everyone and anyone can use that javelin. It is a rule. So, there's nothing wrong in it. He was just preparing for his throw with that Javelin and then I asked the javelin back.
So it is not such a big thing, and I am very sad that some people are using my name to create a big issue about it. I request you to not do it. Sports teaches all of us to walk together."
Further, he requests people to not to use his name as a medium to further their vested interests and propagandas. "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."
"All of us javelin throwers live share a lot of love. We all have good conversations. So please refrain from saying things that will hurt us," Neeraj concluded.
Neeraj Chopra is the first Gold medal winner after the 2008 Beijing Olympics for India. Abhinav Bindra was the last person to win a gold medal for India. Chopra is just 23 years old and has already created history in a sport that is rarely talked about, in India.