Neeraj Chopra, India’s double Olympic medallist, continues to recover from injuries. Even though fans are keen to watch him in action in 2026, it seems like there could be a long wait before he finally returns to action. Athletics Federation of India’s spokesperson has confirmed that for now Neeraj is not focusing on competing at the moment but on rehabilitation.
“Neeraj is recovering from his injuries. During the World Championships, he had two injuries. Athletes don’t usually play with such injuries but he didn’t say a word,” AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla told the media. “We even asked him (Neeraj) not to compete but he said I have to do it for the country.”
Neeraj’s calendar with coach Jan Zelezny
Sumariwalla also clarified that the decision on when Neeraj will start his 2026 event calendar will be taken by the athlete himself in consultation with his coach Jan Zelezny.
“His calendar is with his coach Jan Zelezny. Right now the focus is on his rehabilitation from the injury and not the season opener,” Sumariwalla stated.
Notably, the former World Champion featured in the 2025 Tokyo World Championships. He was competing with a back injury and eventually finished eighth in the final, a result that ended his podium streak of 2,566 days.
Qualification criterion announced for Asian Games
Meanwhile, the AFI has announced the qualification criterion for the 2026 Asian Games. The announcement was made ahead of the start of the domestic season to make sure that the athletes are aware of the changes made for the selection at the continental tournament.
“The qualification standards are set as per the fifth or sixth place finish at the last edition of the Asian Games. We have kept it tighter to make the qualification competitive,” said Sumariwalla, who also happens to be the World Athletics vice-president.
“The final decision lies with the selection committee. The athletes have to keep their performance up throughout the season. It is mandatory for athletes to participate in the state meet.”
“Events like men’s javelin throw, high jump and long jump will see tighter competition than others and the qualification standards are expected to be overhauled by much higher marks. We have kept tighter marks in certain events such as men’s and women’s 100m, 200m and 400m as we don’t want to carry passengers. The athletes who qualify but don’t have much medal potential,” Sumariwalla explained.
“We will take a call about the Commonwealth Games (in Glasgow, Scotland) later in the year on which athletes we are going to send. But our main focus remains on Asian Games,” he added.
