Arshad Nadeem says media backlash over Commonwealth Games exit left him deeply hurt
Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem said on August 6, 2026 he was deeply hurt by the media and social-media backlash after failing to reach the final eight in the men’s javelin at the Commonwealth Games, where his best throw was 75.39 metres and he did not earn the three extra attempts. Nadeem’s elimination came in a 12-man field and followed a run of difficult results this season.
An Olympic gold medallist, Nadeem had finished 10th in the final at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo and was well short of his personal best at the CWG, where Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pahthirage won with a world-leading 89.75 metres, India’s Neeraj Chopra took silver with 85.83m and Yash Vir Singh claimed bronze at 85.41m. His Commonwealth Games performance has been criticised within Pakistan and in wider media coverage.
Speaking to Telecom Asia Sport, Nadeem addressed the reaction directly: "My coach Salman Butt and I are deeply hurt by the negative comments in the mainstream media and on social media," Nadeem said. "My request to the fans and the media is not to lose heart and not to stop supporting me. Whatever I have achieved has only been possible because Allah blessed me with the opportunity." He also urged recognition of the sacrifices behind his achievements: "The respect and recognition Pakistan has received around the world have come through years of hard work. I worked tirelessly while staying in Pakistan," he noted.
On the technical side, Nadeem blamed cold weather for disrupting his run-up and execution during the event. "The weather in Europe was extremely cold, which stiffened my body and I was unable to run properly," Nadeem said. "The run-up in javelin throw is the main thing, and I could not execute it during the event. You may have seen in many of my previous competitions that my run-up is usually very smooth, but this time it wasn't because my body had become stiff due to the cold conditions. My fitness was good and my health was fine, but ultimately whatever Allah wills is what happens."
Nadeem missed Diamond League events at the start of the season and resumed competition only two weeks before the Commonwealth Games, taking part in the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern meet in Switzerland where he finished ninth with a throw of 78.47m behind Germany’s Julian Weber, who threw 87.04m. Reflecting on that meet, he said: "I had hoped the Switzerland event would give me good preparation, but the weather there was wet and the field was tacky, so I could not get the desired result there either."
A Press Trust of India report claimed Pakistan’s athletics bureaucracy created obstacles for Nadeem in the build-up to major events, saying the Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation disowned him after a dispute over the retention of his long-time coach Salman Butt and that both the PAAF and the Pakistan Sports Board created significant hurdles ahead of the Games. The report claimed the federation distanced itself from his training, ignored multiple requests for logistical support and that the PSB withheld funds needed to hire foreign coaches or specialised trainers, leaving Nadeem to train in Lahore without world-class equipment or modern recovery infrastructure. The report also noted that boxer Fatima Zehra, Pakistan’s sole boxing medallist at the Commonwealth Games with a historic bronze, voiced similar grievances about lack of state backing.
Nadeem has slipped to No. 10 in the men’s javelin rankings, a list the article said is headed by Sri Lanka’s Pathirage, and he outlined immediate plans for recovery and preparation: "I will prepare extensively for the Asian Games and hopefully receive coaching from South African coach Terseus Liebenberg before travelling to Japan."
