Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem has claimed not to receive any of the land promised after winning the men’s javelin gold for Pakistan at Paris Games.
With an Olympic record throw of 92.97m, Nadeem won the gold, pushing defending champion Neeraj Chopra to the second spot at the Stade de France last August.
It was Pakistan’s first individual gold medal in Olympics history that triggered euphoric celebration in his country and announcement of a slew of rewards from government, provincial authorities and private organisations.
But Nadeem said he has received only one half the rewards announced as he prepares for the World Championships in September.
“Every plot announcement was false. I haven’t received a single one. 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,” he told Geo TV.
According to a report on Karachi-based A Sports, the 28-year-old underwent a muscle surgery on a calf injury that kept on the sidelines for a lengthy period.
Dr Ali Bajwa carried out the operation in Cambridge after “medical experts identified partial damage to the 28-year-old’s calf muscle that required immediate surgical intervention”.
“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,” Nadeem was quoted as saying by Geo TV.
Should Nadeem compete at the Diamond League in Silesia, Poland, on August 16, he would be up against Chopra for the first time this year.