NC Classic 2025: Neeraj Chopra ‘Very Excited’ For India’s First International Javelin Competition

The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 is set to begin its inaugural edition at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, 5 July 2025. The tournament, which will be India’s first international-level javelin tournament, has been sanctioned as a Gold level meet by World Athletics and officially backed by the Athletics Federation of India.

The NC Classic 2025 tournament will feature several top players from around the world, including athletes from Germany, Brazil, the USA, Kenya, Poland, Czechia, Sri Lanka, and India.

Stars like Rio 2016 Olympics gold medalist Thomas Rohler, 2015 World Champion Julius Yego, and others will take part in the tournament. Olympic double-medalist Neeraj Chopra, who is the organiser of the meet, expressed his enthusiasm for the event, which will be one of the most competitive javelin tournaments in Asia.

“It feels great that such an event is happening in India and that such good athletes have come here to compete together. I am very excited for this event,” Chopra said in a pre-tournament press conference. “Organising and playing together is tough. I have always focused on playing, but now I have to take care of everything. As an organiser, I have to think about all these small things. I like it.”

Rohler, Yego ‘Thankful’ For Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 Opportunity

Both Rohler and Yego were quick to share their excitement in taking part in the event in India. “We are thankful just to be here. For us international athletes, I think it is a pleasure and a joy to come to a country that is really on the rising edge of javelin,” Rohler said. “It’s quite a special year – coming back on the bigger stages after years of troubles and injuries.”

“When I was growing up, we thought of javelin as a European event. It is no longer confined to one region,” Kenyan star Yego said. “When my manager informed me about this event by Neeraj Chopra, the next thing I said was ‘Yes, I have to go to India because Chopra is my good friend.’”

Indian thrower Sachin Yadav, a former Asian Championships silver medalist, is among those chosen to play in the tournament, and thanked Chopra for extending the invitation. “I am very excited to play. The world’s best players are here, and I will be competing with them – that too, in India,” he said.

Another Indian star was set to take part in the tournament – Kishore Jena, but he was replaced on 30 June after suffering an ankle injury. He was replaced by Yashvir Singh. Meanwhile, two-time World Champion Anderson Peters also pulled out of the event due to an ankle injury and was replaced by Poland’s Cyprian Mrzyglod.

The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 will start on 5 July 2025 from 7:00 PM IST. The tournament will be live-streamed on the JioHotstar app and website, and will be televised on Star Sports 1 Hindi and Star Sports 2.