Flag has to fly higher on its own soil: Neeraj Chopra ahead of NC Classic 2025

ANI June 16, 2025 282 views

Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra expressed his emotional connection to the upcoming NC Classic tournament in Bengaluru. The rescheduled event will feature top global javelin throwers including world champion Anderson Peters. Chopra emphasized the significance of hosting such a prestigious competition on Indian soil. The Continental Tour Gold-level meet represents a historic moment for Indian athletics.

"Now, that flag has to fly higher on its own soil, among its own people" - Neeraj Chopra
New Delhi, June 15: Ahead of the Neeraj Chopra (NC) Classic in Bengaluru, two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra expressed his emotions for the tournament where he said that the national flag has to fly higher on its own soil.

Key Points

1

NC Classic postponed to July 5 due to India-Pak tensions

2

Features world champions like Anderson Peters and Julius Yego

3

Marks India's highest-tier international athletics event

4

Co-organized by JSW Sports and World Athletics

The NC Classic was originally slated to be held on May 24 but was later postponed to July 5 due to the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.

"Once upon a time, there was a dream that the Indian flag should fly high proudly in front of the world. Even today, it is the same dream, but the stage has changed. Now, that flag has to fly higher on its own soil, among its own people," Neeraj Chopra said in a video posted by Neeraj Chopra Classic on Instagram.

"Neeraj Chopra Classic is an event where every javelin not only falls on the ground, but also writes history. See, the world's best javelin throwers, on the same ground, for a new Taj," the javelin thrower added.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DK6OTngKQsU/?igsh=ZmR0djU0ZTI5aGQ4

Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will headline the meet named in his honour. The Indian athlete will face stiff competition from some of the sport's biggest names.

The organisers of the event confirmed a 12-member entry list for the inaugural NC Classic on Friday, as per the Olympics.com.

The roster remains nearly identical to the original entry list released prior to the postponement, with just one change - Japan's Genki Dean has been replaced by Poland's Martin Konecny.

Anderson Peters, Thomas Rohler, and Julius Yego - the 2015 world champion and Rio 2016 silver medallist - will participate as originally planned.

The line-up also includes Pan American Games champion Curtis Thompson of the USA, Brazil's Luiz Mauricio da Silva and Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage.

Meanwhile, Asian Games medallist Kishore Jena, Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav and Sahil Silwal will represent the local challenge alongside Neeraj.

Sachin Yadav recently won the silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, Republic of Korea, finishing behind Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem.

The NC Classic, co-organised by Neeraj Chopra, JSW Sports, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World Athletics (WA), will be held at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

It was originally set to be hosted by Panchkula's Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Neeraj's home state of Haryana but was later moved due to issues with the floodlights at the initial venue.

Classified as a WA 'A' category or Continental Tour Gold-level meet, the NC Classic will be the highest-tier international athletics event hosted in India.

Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 entry list:

Neeraj Chopra (IND).

Anderson Peters (GRN).

Luiz Mauricio da Silva (BRA).

Thomas Rohler (GER).

Curtis Thompson (USA).

Martin Konecny (POL).

Julius Yego (KEN).

Rumesh Pathirage (SRI).

Sachin Yadav (IND).

Rohit Yadav (IND).

Sahil Silwal (IND).

Kishore Jena (IND).

Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments for the article:
A
Ankit S.
Neeraj Chopra is making India proud yet again! 🇮🇳 Hosting such a prestigious event in Bengaluru shows how far Indian athletics has come. Hope our young athletes get inspired watching world champions compete on home soil. Jai Hind!
P
Priya M.
While I appreciate Neeraj's sentiment, I wish the event hadn't been postponed due to tensions with Pakistan. Sports should remain above politics. Our athletes lost valuable preparation time because of this delay.
R
Rahul K.
Excited to see Julius Yego and Anderson Peters in action! But make no mistake - our desi boys will give them tough competition. Sachin Yadav's recent silver shows Indian javelin is no longer just about Neeraj. Future looks bright! 💪
S
Sunita T.
Beautiful words by Neeraj! "Flag flying higher on own soil" gave me goosebumps. After decades of watching Indian athletes struggle abroad, now the world comes to us. This is what New India looks like! Proud moment for all sports lovers.
V
Vikram J.
Hope the organizers have sorted out all infrastructure issues this time. The Haryana cancellation was embarrassing. We need to prove we can host world-class events consistently, not just when Neeraj is involved.
M
Meena P.
Interesting to see Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage participating. South Asian unity through sports! 🌏 Hope this event becomes regular and we see more athletes from Nepal, Bangladesh too. Sports can build bridges where politics fails.

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Tags:
Neeraj Chopra NC Classic javelin throw Olympics World Athletics Bengaluru Indian athletes