Birth of a new hero
By Rafia Zahid
Arshad Nadeem makes new history at Olympics.
On Independence Day, everyone in the country rejoiced at Arshad Nadeem’s triumph at Paris Olympics 2024.
When this was time for Arshad Nadeem to run and to throw in final, no one, including Arshad Nadeem had any idea that it would be the longest throw in the history of the Olympics.
In the realm of athletics, Arshad broke numerous records. Pakistan won a medal with this magic throw of 92.97, which also raised the green flag higher than it had been since 1984 on the Olympic arena.
Arshad Nadeem has received congratulations from all corners of the country for this historic achievement. During the Independence Day celebrations, Arshad gave a speech to the nation, urging everyone to strengthen their sense of unity.
The country as a whole hailed Arshad Nadeem’s triumph as a historic accomplishment and a lovely gift of freedom.
For Arshad’s exceptional achievement, several presents were given by Governments, business associations, celebrities, institutions and organizations in addition to monetary prizes and other gifts from the federal and provincial governments.
Arshad Nadeem is granted Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan. Arshad Nadeem has so far reportedly earned monetary rewards totaling Rs 30 crore. On top of money, Arshad Nadeem also received gifts like a car, buffalo, and apartment. Arshad Nadeem was given Rs 100 million by chief minister Maryam Nawaz followed by Rs 150million by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Apart from cricket, this game is now generating huge interest across the country among youth as it has never done before.
During the evening of 14th August, Arshad Nadeem stated during an interview with Capital Talk on Geo News that he intended to establish an academy on his village’s land if he had 15 to 20 Julians he would personally train the young players. (Whereas he mentioned that each Julian cost around 8 to 9 lac rupees)
Regarding the significance of government jobs for athletes, Arshad Nadeem made a very significant statement.
An athlete needs a steady job to sustain themselves. A sportsman works hard when he has a job, and his salary covers his living needs as well. A lot of people have asked for jobs thus far, but they haven’t received any permanent positions as of yet. I request that the government do this. They ought to be made permanent because so many departments and players are employed. I have encountered many challenges, thus the advice to the students and young people is that they should have a sports coach on their side. In Pakistan, what I have achieved today, anybody can do this.
When Arshad was asked about possibility of joining politics at some later stage, Arshad Nadeem gave a negative response. Arshad’s success, on the other hand is being used to score political points in an effective manner by two major political parties.
PML-N leaders and supporters give credit to Shahbaz Sharif for support that ensured rise of Arshad. But PTI fans are attempting to cash the cheque that Arshad Nadeem received under Usman Buzdar’s administration.
The Prime Minister’s Youth Program chairman, Rana Mashhood, says this is the Prime Minister’s vision. Politicians from the PTI and PML-N are taking advantage of Arshad Nadeem’s victory. Whatever the claims of PMLN and PTI, but this is obvious that a new hero is born. A new role model for young generation of Pakistan is finally available to follow. It seems after a long time dry spell has been broken and we have got a hero, finally.
