Neeraj Chopra breaks silence on social media pressure after Arshad Nadeem abuse controversy: ‘Some people…’

Neeraj Chopra spoke about social media pressure, and the Indian athlete recently received abuse from fans on X.

The 2025 Pahalgam attack saw Neeraj Chopra receive abuse from fans on social media. Fans were enraged that an invitation for the NC Classic was sent to Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, and took to X to criticise Neeraj, and many also abused him. Chopra had to take to X to put up a public statement, clarifying that the competition invite was sent before the Pahalgam attack, and that fans also abused his mother. 

India's Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem during the men's javelin throw final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris.(PTI)

The Pahalgam attack claimed the lives of 26 civilians on April 22. The attack’s responsibility has been claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, killing more than 100 high-profile terrorists. Meanwhile, Pakistan reacted by trigerring cross-border shelling and drone attacks. The hostilities came to an end with a ceasefire, with Pakistan ocassional violating it.

Neeraj Chopra on social media pressure

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Neeraj opened up on social media pressure ahead of the upcoming Doha Diamond League event. On being asked if social media created a lot of pressure, he said, “Social media has given everyone with a phone and an internet connection the platform and freedom to say whatever they like and attack whomever they want.”

“Some people take to social media to vent their pent-up frustrations. If they are facing any issues in their personal lives that can’t be aired, they take aim at people on social media.

“However, I try not to worry about such comments and focus on my work.”

Since the Pahalgam attack, the NC Classic has also been postponed due to the escalating Indo-Pak hostilities.

Arshad Nadeem’s absence in the Doha event will be big miss. Neeraj will be joined by Indian colleague Kishore Jena too, and we will also get to see Jakub Vadlejch and Anderson Peters in action on Friday.

On being asked if he ever wanted to quit social media, Neeraj said, “Of course. I can quit social media in a heartbeat if I want to. I never feel obligated to maintain a presence. I am there to share my journey, promote the sport and create a pathway for other athletes from my country.”

“I want to show what goes behind becoming an international athlete. I am not an influencer, I am an athlete. Javelin is my career, not social media. I can quit social media very easily,” he added.