Pakistan’s star athlete Arshad Nadeem, who brought the first gold medal in Olympics for the country in 40 years, has been showered with appreciation and rewards from the government as well as private individuals and enterprises.
After setting the new Olympic record with a 92.97-metre throw in the javelin final, Nadeem received a gold medal for his historic win, followed by a number of reward announcements by the federal and provincial government, brands, and individuals.
Here are the details of the rewards that have so far been announced for Arshad Nadeem.
Federal government
On behalf of the federal government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a reward of Rs150 million for Arshad Nadeem for his historic win.
The prime minister also promised Rs10 million for Arshad’s coach Salman Iqbal Butt.
Along with the prize money, the government also announced a civil award for Arshad for his record performance in Olympics.
Punjab government
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif herself arrived at Nadeem’s house in his hometown Mian Channu and presented a cheque of Rs100 million to the javelin thrower.
She also presented the key of a Honda Civic car with the number plate “PAK 92.97” to Nadeem.
CM Maryam also gave a cheque of Rs5 million to Salman Iqbal Butt.
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Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan announced a separate cash reward of Rs2 million for Arshad, state-run APP reported.
Sindh government
Sindh government announced a Rs50 million reward. The announcement was made by Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on X (formerly Twitter).
“Congratulations Arshad. Fortunate to have witnessed this historic moment with public. Gold medal for Pakistan in Olympics after 40 years. PPP’s Sindh Govt will give Rs5 crore to Arshad,” Wahab said, adding that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) will establish “Arshad Nadeem Athletics Academy” in the provincial capital.
Governor of Sindh Kamran Tessori announced Rs1 million in reward for Arshad.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in his personal capacity, announced a reward of Rs5 million for Arshad.
World Athletics
The World Athletics, an international governing body for the sport of athletics, became the “first international federation” to award prize money at an Olympic Games, financially rewarding athletes for achieving the pinnacle of sporting success.
In April 2024, the body announced that it would reward all gold medalists of Paris Olympics with $50,000 each. Arshad Nadeem also became eligible for this reward after securing gold in the javelin final.
United Bank Limited (UBL)
A commercial bank UBL also announced a reward of Rs5 million to recognise Arshad Nadeem’s amazing feat.
Toyota Pakistan
Toyota Pakistan gifted its Corolla Cross Hybrid Electric to Arshad Nadeem.
“Arshad Nadeem has been a Toyota-sponsored athlete since October 2023, embodying our shared values of determination and excellence,” the company wrote in a post on X.
“As a token of our appreciation for his unwavering dedication and the pride he has brought to Pakistan at the Paris Olympics 2024, we are excited to gift our gold medalist the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Electric,” it added.
Singer Ali Zafar
Pakistani singer Ali Zafar announced Rs1 million reward for Arshad through his foundation Ali Zafar Foundation.
“Let’s show our heroes the celebration they deserve….if our athletes and sportsmen start getting the support they deserve we can win 10 golds a year,” he wrote in a post on X.
Cricketer Ahmad Shahzad
Pakistani cricketer Ahmad Shahzad also announced a prize money of Rs1 million for Arshad Nadeem.
JDC Foundation
JDC Foundation Pakistan announced a reward of Rs92,97,000 for Arshad in recognition of his record throw of 92.97 metres. The foundation also announced a separate reward of Rs2.5 million on “behalf of the people of Karachi”. Both the amounts were paid by a businessman Ali Sheikhani, according to JDC general secretary Zafar Abbas.
Earlier, the foundation had also announced a Suzuki Alto car for the star athlete.
ARY Laguna
Salman Iqbal, Chairman of ARY laguna, announced to gift an apartment at ARY Laguna.
The list is in no way comprehensive since many of the announcements were also not made public. Business Recorder relied on official communication and verified information before including details in this article.