NEW DELHI: The inaugural Neeraj Chopra Clas-sic, scheduled to be held on May 24 in Bengaluru, was postponed indefinitely amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgaam attack, Press Trust of India news agency reported on Friday. Double Olympic medallist Chopra had last month announced that the high-profile javelin tournament has been shifted to Bengaluru from the original venue of Panchkula, Haryana state. A day before the Pahalgaam attack, Chopra had announced that world’s top javelin throwers, including Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem who is the Paris Olympics champion, had been invited to the Neeraj Chopra Classic. However, the attack in Kashmir prompted heavy criticism of Chopra’s decision to invite Arshad, even though it was unlikely the star javelin thrower was going to attend. Chopra on Friday anno-unced the postponement by posting a statement from the NC Classic team on X. He said the revised schedule of the event will be shared in due course. “In the light of the current situation, the inaugural edition of the NC Classic stands postponed until further notice,” the statement read. “This decision has been made after careful thought, with the well-being of athletes, stakeholders, and the broader community as the top priority.” Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025