BALLARI: Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra has a Ballari connection as he was sponsored by JSW Steel Ltd, which has started an international standard sports facility -- Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) -- on its premises at Toranagallu.
Neeraj, who trained here, had developed a good rapport with the local police by participating in several of their initiatives. A JSW official said, "We sponsored him and he came here often to train. His longest stay was in 2019 for his rehabilitation after being injured and undergoing a surgery of his right elbow. He was operated in Mumbai by surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala and he was rehabilitated here, where a team of physiotherapists headed by Dhanraj Kaushik took care of him."
Neeraj came to Ballari frequently since 2016 and participated in activities organised by the police. "We have a programme to create awareness among people to give way for ambulances and save lives. Chopra was part of that initiative," said Kudithini Sub-Inspector Mohammed Rafi. SP Saidulu Adavath said, “It was a good gesture by him to become a part of our awareness programme. Ballari police are happy to be associated with Neeraj, who has made our country proud."