Amid India, Pakistan tensions, Neeraj Chopra postpones javelin event

Neeraj Chopra, the Olympic gold medallist of India, postponed this month's javelin event in the city of Bengaluru in southern India after India and Pakistan continued their biggest conflict in almost thirty years.

Numerous international athletes, including Anderson Peters, Julius Yego, Thomas Roehler, and Curtis Thompson, were expected to participate at the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics Gold category meet, on May 24.

Chopra's move came after cricket-mad India and Pakistan suspended their elite Twenty20 leagues on Friday in the wake of the ongoing conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

"This decision has been made after careful thought and consultation, with the wellbeing of athletes, stakeholders, and the broader community as the top priority," Chopra's team announced on social media on Friday.

"We believe in the unifying power of sport. But, in this critical moment, standing firm with the nation matters most. All our gratitude and thoughts at this point are only with our Armed Forces, who are at the forefront for our nation."

Chopra said late last month it was "completely out of the question" that rival and Paris Olympics gold medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan would attend the meet following a deadly militant attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The two countries have clashed since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan on Wednesday that it claimed were "terrorist camps", in retaliation for the attack in Kashmir, without providing a shred of evidence. Pakistan has denied the accusation, terming it a blatant lie.

Chopra, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, said a revised schedule for his event would be provided in due course.