———- Announces Rs150m award, street and high performance academy after Arshad in Islamabad
———- Also Rs. 1 billion sports endowment fund
———- Punjab govt too announces huge gifts for Gold Medalist
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Javelin star Arshad Nadeem on Tuesday said that his next goal was to nab the world record as he was hosted at the Prime Minister House for a state banquet in his honour for securing the country’s first Olympic gold medal in 40 years.
Arshad made history in Paris last week with his win, setting a record in the Games with his monstrous 92.97-metre throw.
Arshad’s Olympic win was Pakistan’s first individual gold medal, first track and field medal as well as the second time a South Asian has had a podium finish in track and field.
The nation has since then been joyous — with the athlete arriving to a hero’s welcome back at his hometown Mian Channu and government leaders announcing the Hilal-i-Imtiaz award and cash prizes worth more than Rs155m for him.
Arshad, his family and coach Salman Iqbal Butt arrived at the PM House where they were received by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Arshad’s entourage was later seated with the premier.
Addressing the event, Arshad thanked his family and the nation for their prayers, saying they enabled him to break the Olympic record for the javelin throw event.
“I was very happy that God bestowed me with the gold medal and we will celebrate August 14th with this. I am very happy that I’ve come to Pakistan and you’re all giving me so much love.
“I will train fully for all upcoming competitions and my next goal is … I will nab the world record.”
He also thanked PM Shehbaz and the public for the welcome afforded to him upon his return, saying it was perhaps “even more so than my medal”.
“All of you give respect and this emboldens players and they work hard and advance,” he said, adding that a lot of hard work went into his journey and thanked his coach and Dr Ali Sher Bajwa for their sup-port along the way.
Arshad said he had faith in himself before going for the Games since he had given it his all in prepara-tion. “I qualified for the final at the Paris Olympics qualifying round with a first throw over 86m. I gained hope when I qualified that I would fight for the gold in the final,” he added.
Telling his experience about the day of the final, Arshad said the other players were warming up when he entered the field while he was worrying slightly about an injury he had.
Arshad said he blundered in his first throw, resulting in a foul, but “when I took the second throw … I took God’s name and when the [javelin] left my hand, I knew it was a throw over 90m.”
He further said that he had told his coach that the gold medal and the Olympic record were in the bag but he was feeling good about nabbing the world record.
Arshad credited PM Shehbaz’s Punjab Sports and Youth Festival initiative during his time as the Punjab chief minister in the 2013 PML-N tenure for “sowing the seed”. “That plant has still not fully grown and is still starting, but we will take it further and make it bigger and make Pakistan proud in the world,” he added.
Speaking after the Olympian, PM Shehbaz termed Arshad the “hero” of the nation.
“Today is a moment of great pride and happiness not only for me and the government but the whole nation whose beating heart and hero is Arshad Nadeem who not only won and gave Pakistan a gold medal after 40 years … but also doubled our joy on this occasion of independence.”
PM Shehbaz reiterated Arshad’s accomplishment of not only bringing an Olympic gold medal to the country after 40 years but also breaking the Olympic javelin world record.
“Today, the whole nation’s morale is soaring to the heavens,” he said, adding that Arshad’s “great suc-cess” had made it clear that difficulties should not be worried about but confronted with strength and confidence.
“The example you’ve established today in Paris is a shining one that where we are fully preparing to celebrate Independence Day, I think I and the whole nation have been emboldened by your feat and we will definitely cross our challenges and problems while walking in your steps with unity and consen-sus and together make Pakistan a great power.”
The prime minister also lauded Arshad’s mother for her upbringing and expressed gratitude to her. “This plant of success you’ve sown will not only become a big shadeful tree but I think it will lead to many more plants in our society whose roots will be strengthened and they will become trees too,” he added.
Expressing hope that Arshad’s records would continue to grow, the prime minister said it was the duty of the federal and provincial governments, as well as sports bodies, to set aside their differences and work together to revive various sports.
Expressing his government’s readiness to cooperate in the matter, PM Shehbaz announced the consti-tution of a committee to investigate where the federal government could contribute to bringing back the country’s glory days in sports.
Praising the announcements of cash awards for Arshad from the Sindh and Punjab governments, PM Shehbaz announced a reward of Rs150 million from the federal government for the Olympian and Rs10m for his coach.
“There will be no tax on this,” the premier quipped.
PM Shehbaz also announced that a street in Islamabad would be named Arshad Nadeem Road. “The story doesn’t end here, I also announce the establishment of Arshad Nadeem High Performance Academy at Jinnah [Sports] Stadium,” the premier added.
He explained that the academy would play a leading role in bolstering and rearing young talent for the next Olympics.
The prime minister further announced a sports endowment fund worth Rs1 billion for fulfilling the needs of athletes and providing them opportunities for growth, as well as retired sports players.
The prime minister announced hosting the dinner earlier today. Speaking during a federal cabinet meeting today, PM Shehbaz paid tribute to Arshad, highlighting that he overcame numerous challeng-es through his “unwavering effort”. The premier also commended the javelin thrower’s parents and coach for their support for the gold medallist.
Detailing the arrangements, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said a special aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force will bring Arshad, his family and his coach from the Multan airport, Radio Pakistan reported.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Tarar said a committee of federal ministers would receive the national hero at the Noor Khan airbase this evening, and he would be accorded state protocol dur-ing his visit.
The information and broadcasting ministry has been directed to produce a biopic on the struggle and life of the Olympic athlete, Radio Pakistan quoted Tarar as saying.
Arshad and PM Shehbaz will jointly hoist the national flag at the ceremony in Islamabad tomorrow to mark Independence Day, Tarar added.
The information minister later received Arshad and his entourage in Islamabad. “There is no limit to our joy that a national hero has reached the capital. The prime minister has scheduled a state banquet in his honour,” he said, adding that the Olympian and the premier would also jointly participate in the flag-hoisting ceremony on the occasion of Independence Day.
The information minister said the athlete would also tour Peshawar and Karachi to participate in events related to August 14.
Meanwhile, regaling his journey so far, Arshad credited the 2012 and 2014 editions of the Punjab Sports and Youth Festival and PM Shehbaz, then Punjab chief minister, for “planting” the seed of his sports career.
Arshad called for departments to give jobs to athletes, adding that the move boosts confidence for sports players and allows them to kick off their careers.
The Olympian also talked about the outpouring of love for him since his return to the country, men-tioning the respect given to him wherever he passed.
According to media, the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) has announced Umrah packages for Arshad and his family.
Arshad, along with his wife, children, and parents, would go for Umrah after the celebratory events had concluded, the report said.
