BCCI Owns Neeraj Chopra's Tokyo Olympics Gold Medal Winning Javelin; Won It in An Auction- Reports

Neeraj Chopra made the whole country proud in 2021 when became only the second Indian to win an individual gold medal in Olympics in the Tokyo 2020 javelin event. After the event, Neeraj Chopra had given the javelin to Indian PM Narendra Modi’s memento collections which were later e-auctioned.

The javelin was part of many items that were presented during the e-auction, the proceeds of which went to ‘The Namami Gange Program. ‘Namami Gange Program, launched in 2014, integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river. The auction was held between September and October 2021.

With a throw of 87.58 m in his second attempt, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian Olympian to win a gold medal in athletics, and the first post-independence Indian Olympic medalist in athletics.

BCCI Bid INR 1.5 Crs In Auction To Win Neeraj Chopra’s Historic Olympic Gold Medal Winning Javelin

The e-auction of gifts and mementoes presented to the Prime Minister was held in October 2021. The gifts and mementoes included memorabilia of the participants of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games; models of Ayodhya Ram Mandir; and Varanasi’s Rudraksha auditorium.

Of all the gifts and mementoes e-auctioned, Chopra’s javelin had attracted the most attention and had the highest bid value at Rs 1.5 crores. Now PTI has reported that the winning bid was made by none other than the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“BCCI had made the winning bid for Neeraj’s javelin. But we also bid for a couple of other collectibles. It (Namami Gange) is a noble cause and the office bearers in BCCI felt that as one of the premier sporting bodies in the country, we had a duty towards the nation. As an organisation we are proud that we have a sporting good of one of India’s greatest athletes,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The BCCI had also contributed Rs 51 crore to the PM Cares fund during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from Chopra’s javelin, BCCI also bought an angavastra, autographed by the Indian Paralympic contingent for Rs 1 crore.

During the auction last year, 1348 mementoes including sports collectables were put in for the e-auction and a total of 8600 bids were received.

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