Commonwealth Games 2022: Neeraj Chopra to miss out due to injury; netizens devastated
Neeraj Chopra will not be able to compete at the Commonwealth Games 2022. He is nursing an injury, and netizens have been left devastated.
FollowTokyo Olympics gold-medalist Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will miss out on the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG). He has suffered an injury. Although the type of injury and the extent of it is yet to be revealed, he is not 100% fit to compete at the event. Keeping in mind his well-being for the long run, he will skip this CWG edition in Birmingham, which gets underway on Thursday. Earlier, General Secretary of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Rajeev Mehta, had informed about the same. Chopra is coming off a silver medal-winning effort during the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, United States of America (USA).
"Neeraj Chopra will miss the Commonwealth Games as his fitness is not 100%. He has spoken to me on the same and has been advised 20 days rest," Mehta had told Times Now. On Tuesday, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced that Chopra was having  "fitness concerns" ahead of the competition and that it was not willing to risk him.
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In a statement by the IOA, Mehta clarified, "Team India javelin thrower Mr Neeraj Chopra had called me earlier today from the US to convey his inability to participate in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games owing to fitness concern. Following his participation in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Mr Chopra had an MRI scan done on Monday and, based on it. He has been advised a month's rest by his medical team."
Chopra was expected to be India's flag-bearer during Thursday's 2022 CWG opening ceremony. But now that he is missing out, the IOA is yet to announce the new flag-bearer. "We have a meeting later in the day to decide the new flag-bearer," Rajesh Bhandari (India's chef de mission) told PTI. In the meantime, the netizens were devasted by the news of Chopra missing out.
(With inputs from PTI)
