ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – When Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s first Olympic gold medalist in 40 years, arrived at Lahore airport early on August 10, a raucous crowd of several thousand people welcomed him, chanting his name and waving Pakistani flags.
The 27-year-old athlete was accompanied by a motorcade of drumming and dancing people on his way back to his village near Mian Chanu, a small town in Punjab province. On his arrival, residents welcomed him with rose petals and his father presented him with a garland.
Nearly two weeks after setting a new javelin record with a throw of 92.97 meters (305 feet) at the Stade de France during the Paris Summer Olympics, Nadeem has emerged as Pakistan’s new national hero.
He received a cash prize of about $900,000 from the government and a car with registration number PAK92.97. He was also honoured at an official reception with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and invited to hoist the flag at Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations on August 14.
In a cricket-dominated country like Pakistan, Nadeem’s success has sparked unprecedented interest in the javelin and athletics.
Some observers are calling his achievement, Pakistan’s first individual Olympic gold medal, the greatest sporting moment in the country’s 77-year history.
Following Nadeem’s historic javelin throw on August 8, Pakistani social media was flooded with videos of young boys and girls imitating Nadeem’s javelin throw with homemade spears.
Sports journalist Faizan Lakhani said the new enthusiasm showed how Nadeem’s victory had captivated the nation.
“People are showing interest in the javelin and other athletics events. They are following the records and reading about the matches. It is encouraging to see people taking an interest in sports other than cricket,” Lakhani, deputy sports editor at Pakistani television station Geo News, told Al Jazeera.
Lakhani said while Nadeem’s achievements may bring more attention to other sports, media and public attention often returns to cricket.
“Our country is obsessed with cricket and all attention is on cricket. Once the cricket matches begin, our attention will likely shift back to cricket and beyond Nadeem’s victory. It is up to all of us to remember what Nadeem has achieved, the significance of his victory and continue to drive interest in other sports,” he added.
Upon his return to Pakistan, Nadeem was congratulated by the government after winning the Olympic gold medal and was awarded approximately $900,000 in prize money. [Bilawal Arbab/EPA]
Past sporting successes
After gaining independence from British rule in August 1947, Pakistan initially enjoyed success in a variety of sports, particularly in the country’s national sport, field hockey.
The hockey team won its first Olympic medal, a silver, at the 1956 Olympics, followed by its first gold medal in 1960. That year Pakistan also saw wrestler Muhammad Bashir win its first individual Olympic medal, a bronze medal.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Pakistan also produced some of its best sprinters, with Abdul Khaliq earning the title “Asia’s Flying Bird” from India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru after winning the first of his two gold medals at the 1954 Manila Asian Games.
But outside of squash and hockey, the performance of Pakistan’s athletes steadily declined. As the country suffered political turmoil in the late 1950s, wars with India in 1965 and 1971, and decades of military rule, sports struggled and lost funding and grassroots scouting programs. These changes were reflected in declining performance.
For example, the hockey team has failed to qualify in the previous three tournaments, although it last won gold in Los Angeles in 1984 and in Barcelona in 1992, Pakistan’s last Olympic medal before Nadeem won bronze.
Pakistan also once dominated squash. From 1951 to 1997, Pakistani players, led by Hashim Khan and the legendary Khan family, reached the finals of 41 of the 47 British Open tournaments, the most prestigious in squash, and won 30 of them. However, since 1997, Pakistan has not won the British Open or the World Championship.
Outliers
Nadeem rose through the ranks through personal sponsorship and his own talent, but his mentor and coach, sports scout Rashid Ahmed Sakhi, first discovered him as a skinny 14-year-old boy competing in local tournaments.
But Nadeem is an outcast in a country of 241 million people. While public and media attention has focused on cricket, with the Pakistan Cricket Board as the best-funded governing body, other sports and associated bodies have been plagued by allegations of political appointments, embezzlement, infighting and underfunding.
Athletes have relied on public and private organisations such as banks to set up sports units that would provide them with a source of income and a career path, but the country’s economic downturn over the past few years has led many to close their sports units.
Athletes often say they lack the funding and travel support to compete in international competitions.
Mohammed Shahnawaz, a Britain-based Pakistani sports consultant who advises local and expatriate athletes, believes Nadeem’s win should prompt state authorities to consider how to better support promising athletes.
“We need a clear vision from the state. Our sports policy is complex and outdated. … While the world has moved on to the 21st century, our sports policy and infrastructure is still stuck in the 1960s,” he said.
Nadeem made history in Paris when he set a new Olympic record in the javelin throw with a distance of 92.97 metres. [Christian Bruna/EPA]
Investing in athletes
Squash player Nourena Shams, who is hoping to compete in the sport’s first Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, said Nadeem’s success highlighted the potential of individual talent despite limited government support.
“This victory has raised awareness among the public, sponsors and athletes about the importance of sport. Imagine what Arshad could have achieved if he had received world-class support. More importantly, how many more athletes like Arshad could there be who get the support they need with the right system in place?” the 27-year-old told Al Jazeera.
Lakhani cited the example of Pakistan’s second-ranked javelin thrower Yasir Sultan, who won a bronze medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in June 2023.
“He was promised a reward of Rs 5 million. [$18,000] “After winning the medal, the government is due to give him the prize money but he is yet to receive it. The government needs to constantly remind itself to fulfil its promises and also understand that developing top athletes requires investment,” he said.
Shahnawaz believes that in future Pakistan must prioritise sports in which it has the potential to excel.
“There is a lot of talent in shooting and weightlifting and they are performing well. It is the government’s responsibility to think about how to build on Arshad’s success for the next generation. We need to identify athletes from a young age and provide them with a career path, including sports scholarships if possible. This will ensure sustainable development for our athletes,” he said.
However, Shahnawaz was not expecting any particularly good results after Nadeem’s win.
“I don’t know if anything will come from this win. [the same] These are people who have been running various sports organisations for 10 to 15 years. [The] The same faces have repeatedly held power, [the] The cycle of disappointment continues,” Shahnawaz said. “Most of the officials [the] “They don’t have a vision to expand the sport, generate revenue or create something new to progress. They’re just happy with the status quo.”