New Delhi, July 17 Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem has revealed that several promises made to him following last year’s Paris Olympics remain unfulfilled. The javelin star alleged that some of the announced rewards, particularly land plot allocations, were never actually delivered, calling them "fake".
Nadeem claimed the gold with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m at the Stade de France, beating India's Neeraj Chopra, who finished second with a best effort of 89.45m to settle for silver. Nadeem became the first Pakistani athlete to win an individual gold medal in the Olympics.
Shortly after his historic achievement, the Pakistani javelin star was honoured with a host of accolades and promised financial rewards from the government, provincial administrations and private entities.
While the promised cash prizes were duly awarded to Nadeem, the announced land allotments have yet to be fulfilled.
"Out of all the prize announcements made for me, all the plot announcements were fake, which I did not receive. Apart from that, I have received all the cash prizes that were announced," Geo TV quoted Nadeem as saying.
Despite the issue with the promised plots, Nadeem revealed that his focus remains firmly on his athletic career.
"My entire focus is on myself, but apart from that, we train any youth who comes to us for training, and this training is given by my coach Salman Butt," he reiterated when he was asked about training other aspiring athletes.
As per Pakistan's A Sports' report, Nadeem successfully underwent muscle surgery in the United Kingdom (UK), marking a crucial step in his recovery from a lingering calf injury that recently forced him to miss competition.
The surgery was performed in Cambridge under the supervision of renowned UK-based specialist Dr Ali Bajwa. Medical experts discovered partial damage to the 28-year-old’s calf muscle, necessitating immediate surgical intervention. With the procedure successfully completed, Nadeem has now begun his rehabilitation and physiotherapy, as his medical team and coach Salman Iqbal Butt remain optimistic about a smooth and timely recovery.
Nadeem and Neeraj are expected to go head-to-head for the first time this year at the Diamond League event in Silesia, Poland, scheduled for August 16.
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