Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem declares his innocence while picking up Neeraj Chopra’s javelin

India's Neeraj Chopra (left) and Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan. (Source: Twitter)

A day after Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra defended his Pakistan counterpart Arshad Nadeem’s actions in picking up his javelin before the final, the Pakistani Olympian has also reacted to the allegations. Nadeem claimed that all the javelin were provided by the International Olympic Committee and he started practising with one in the rack.

“Actually, javelins were provided by the Olympic committee. I was practicing with a Javelin and Neeraj came to me and said it was his Javelin so I gave him,” Nadeem was quoted as saying by Arysports.tv.

“I am not sure whether that Javelin was provided to the management by India or not. Maybe it was his favourite and he wanted to throw with it. That’s why he came to me and ask for that Javelin,” he added.

India’s Neeraj Chopra, who won Gold in Tokyo Olympics 2020, claimed in an interview to TOI that Arshad Nadeem was roaming around with his javelin before the start of the final competition.

“I was searching for my javelin at the start of the final. I was not able to find it. Suddenly, I saw Arshad 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’. Then he gave it back to me. That’s why you must have seen I took my first throw hurriedly!” he told TOI in an interview.

Neeraj Chopra then came out on Thursday (August 26) and requested everyone not to future ‘vested interest and propaganda’ with this matter.

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. — Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) August 26, 2021

“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,” Neeraj Chopra said in a video message.