Report claims Pakistan federation distanced itself from Arshad Nadeem before CWG

Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan's Olympic champion in javelin throw, faced intense criticism following his underwhelming performance at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow. The defending champion finished a lowly ninth, unable to throw beyond 80 meters, as Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage won gold and India's Neeraj Chopra and Yashvir Singh secured historic medals in silver and bronze respectively.

Reports from Pakistan suggested that the Olympic champion had been distanced from his training programme by the Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation (PAAF) following a dispute over his long-time coach, Salman Butt. According to a PTI report, the PAAF largely withdrew its support after disagreements arose last year over Nadeem's coaching setup. Nadeem ended up training in Lahore with Salman Butt and local trainers, rather than overseas under renowned coach Terseus Liebenberg, who had previously guided him to Olympic gold.

In contrast, India's javelin throwers, Neeraj Chopra and his teammates, trained in Switzerland and Poland with foreign coaches and support staff before the CWG. The differing preparation approaches became evident in the final results, with India securing two medals while Nadeem failed to qualify for the top eight after the first three rounds.

Nadeem's coach, Salman Butt, admitted that his athlete was underprepared for the Glasgow Games, citing limited competitive exposure and inadequate training. Former Pakistan Athletics Federation president Akram Sahi also blamed negligence and a lack of proper training for Nadeem's disappointing performance, stating that a "coterie" had hijacked the athlete and prevented him from receiving the necessary support.