A day after Arshad Nadeem’s groundbreaking achievement at the Paris Olympics, where he secured Pakistan’s first-ever individual gold medal, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has asserted that the government has consistently supported the athlete throughout his career, offering “unwavering financial and technical support.”
Arshad clinched the gold with an extraordinary throw of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic and Asian record.
Despite this success, the government has faced substantial criticism for allegedly not providing adequate support to Arshad, who has now earned his ninth international medal for Pakistan since 2016.
In response to the criticism, a message circulated on the IPC and PSB WhatsApp groups stated, “The government has stood firmly behind Arshad Nadeem throughout his career, providing unwavering financial and technical support.”
The message elaborated on the government’s role, stating, “With the Pakistan Sports Board and Athletics Federation leading the way, his training—whether domestically or internationally—has been meticulously organized. In the past three years alone, Mr. Arshad has received Rs22 million in cash awards. Additionally, for the 2023-24 financial year, Rs69 million was allocated to the Athletics Federation to enhance the development of athletes nationwide.”
According to details provided to a private news outlet by the PSB, a substantial portion of Rs2.2 million was awarded to Arshad as prize money for his various medal victories representing Pakistan.
In April of this year, Arshad was also granted Rs10 million under the category of “medical treatment.”
Further rewards include Rs5 million each for his gold medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and silver medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championship, along with Rs1 million for winning medals in four other events.
A PSB official, when asked, mentioned that the board is still in the process of finalizing and summarizing the expenses incurred for Arshad’s training in South Africa.
It is noteworthy that Arshad’s primary competitor, Neeraj Chopra, operated with a budget of approximately 5.71 crore INR, which equates to around 19 crore in Pakistani currency.
