The gold medal at the Paris Olympics made Arshad Nadeem an overnight star. Pakistan didn’t win a single medal at the Olympics since the 1992 Barcelona games and people hardly paid attention to any sport barring cricket or hockey, to some extent. However, Arshad Nadeem gave athletics a new life in Pakistan, similar to what Neeraj Chopra did in India by winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Arshad Nadeem’s rise to glory is not short of extraordinary. Battling financial crisis and family responsibilities, Arshad did not give up on the sport, and the hard work paid off in Paris when he became the first athlete from Pakistan to win an individual Olympics gold.
Arshad’s life changed in the blink of an eye as someone who once struggled to buy a Javelin became an overnight millionaire, with Maryam Nawaz, Chief Minister of Punjab, announcing a 100 million reward, which was handed to Arshad recently. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif also announced a 150 million reward for the Pakistan athlete.
Meanwhile, Chairman Of Athletics Federation of Pakistan Mohammad Akram made a shocking statement and said that cricket is a big threat to Arshad Nadeem. Akram explained that the Bangladesh Cricket team has arrived in Pakistan and will train in Lahore. He added that Arshad won’t be allowed to enter the stadium, adding that the biggest problem for Arshad is lack of a training facility and a ground where he can train whenever he wants.
“The arrival of the Bangladesh cricket team is not a good news for me and Arshad Nadeem. They will be training in Lahore and Arshad Nadeem won’t be allowed to practice. He won’t be allowed to enter the stadium. The biggest problem for Arshad Nadeem is a lack of ground where he can train whenever he wants, “Akram said on Samaa TV.
The Bangladesh cricket team landed in Pakistan on August 13 for the two-match Test series. They will train in Lahore till August 16 before travelling to Islamabad. The first Test will be played from August 21 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
