Neeraj Chopra joins elite list of Laureus ambassadors
The reigning Olympic and world javelin champion joins former cricketer Yuvraj Singh as the second Indian to be named a Laureus ambassador.
India’s Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic and world javelin champion, was named a Laureus ambassador on Thursday. The 25-year-old Chopra became the second Indian to be named Laureus ambassador after former cricketer Yuvraj Singh was honoured in 2017.
Laureus is a global sports-based charity that works to improve the lives of young people. The organisation leverages its Sport for Good initiative, the World Sports Academy, the ambassador programme and the World Sports Awards to harness the inspirational influence of sports as a catalyst for positive change.
Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra pledged his support to the Laureus Sport for Good initiative. The charity supports over 300 global programmes for eradicating inequality and discrimination in society.
“I’ve heard about the many programmes that Laureus supports in India,” Chopra, who defended his Asian Games title in Hangzhou earlier this month, said.
“It is a big honour for me to join Laureus as an ambassador. To see the many legends that have been a part of this programme and the difference they have made in the world is inspiring and I share the same belief.”
Cricketers Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are part of Laureus World Sports Academy, which under the chairmanship of former New Zealand rugby union captain Sean Fitzpatrick, performs the crucial role of voting for the winners of the Laureus Awards.
Last year, Neeraj Chopra, who won the Olympic gold medal in 2021 to become the first Indian track and field athlete to win an Olympic medal, was nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award for 2022. However, the award went to British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu.
Chopra is only the third Indian – after wrestler Vinesh Phogat and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar – to be nominated for a Laureus award.
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