The first edition of the “Neeraj Chopra Classic” (NC Classic), an international javelin meet, is set to be held at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, Haryana, on May 24 this year.
NC Classic will be a World Athletics Gold category event, making it a key qualification competition for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from September 13 to 21.
The tournament, headlined by India’s ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, is expected to host top male and female javelin throwers from around the world.
Labelled as the NC Classic, the one-day javelin throw meet is classified as a World Athletics ‘A’ category event, equal to a Continental Tour Gold-level competition in ranking points.
Launched in 2020, the Continental Tour is the second-most significant circuit in global athletics, replacing the erstwhile World Challenge series. It features four levels — gold, silver, bronze, and challenger — each drawing world-class talent across disciplines.
This is the biggest javelin throw event to be held in India and will be organised by Neeraj Chopra in association with JSW.
The organisers are keen on making it an annual fixture in the World Athletics calendar.
“It has been a longstanding dream of mine to organise and bring a world-class javelin competition to India,” Neeraj had said earlier this year.
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World javelin champion Neeraj is expected to start his 2025 season at the Doha Diamond League in Qatar on May 16, just over a week before the NC Classic.
Neeraj’s last event in India was the Federation Cup 2024, where he clinched gold with an 82.27m throw.
