It is no secret that Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem had next to nothing, when it came to resources to prepare for the Paris Olympics. With this, it is not very difficult to figure, that money crunch was a hard reality of his life, despite being the premier sports person in his country. But all that might just soon be about to change, after his gold medal-winning effort on August 8th.
It has been only a few hours since his stupendous effort, and the rewards and prizes are coming his way, in a heap. For starters, Pakistan Punjab’s chief minister Maryam Nawaz has announced a rich cash prize of PKR 100 million for Arshad Nadeem, that roughly translates to INR 3 crore, as per a report in Geo.tv. Nawaz has gone on to term it a ‘present to the nation on the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day’.
Furthermore, Karachi mayor, barrister Murtaza Wahab announced a cash prize of PKR 50 million for his efforts. He also went on to reveal that a sports academy in the city would come up in the name of Arshad. He said, “Arshad Nadeem is a national hero and we are proud of our heroes.”
Arshad Nadeem to Get Pakistan’s Highest Civilian Honour
Pakistan’s national assembly also unanimously decided that the government would award his the highest civilian honour of the country. Thereafter, NA Omar Ayub, the leader of the opposition promised a grand welcome upon his return. If that wasn’t enough, Sindh governor Kamran Khan Tessori announced PKR 2 million cash reward.
Singer and actor Ali Zafar also promised PKR 1 million for the hero. Sindh government spokesperson and Sukkur Mayor Barrister Arsalan Islam Shaikh added, that he would awarded a gold crown, and the new stadium in Sukkur would be named after him. Pakistan cricketer, Ahmad Shahzad also announced PKR 1 million for the newly crowned Olympic champion, through his foundation.