Arshad Nadeem to miss Lausanne Diamond League as he heads to South Africa for Asian Games preparation

Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem will not compete at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on August 21, his coach Salman Butt said in Lahore on August 13, 2026, because he is prioritising preparation for another international meet and the Asian Games.

Butt said Arshad is currently training in Lahore and will soon leave for South Africa to train for a few weeks under coach Terseus Liebenberg and local trainers. “He has decided against competing in the Diamond League meet this month as he wants to be ready for the Asian Games,” Butt said. Butt said Arshad was just waiting for his visa to leave for South Africa.

Arshad finished ninth in the men’s javelin final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won the event with a throw of 89.75 metres. India’s Neeraj Chopra and Yash Vir Singh took second and third, and it was the first time two Indians had featured on the javelin podium after a final.

He had been entered for the Lausanne Diamond League on August 21 alongside Neeraj Chopra, Julian Weber and Anderson Peters but will now miss that meeting and travel to South Africa for a training camp. The decision removes him from a field that included several of the sport’s leading throwers.

The 28-year-old is scheduled to spend two weeks training in Potchefstroom. He has previously completed two training stints in Potchefstroom ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Olympics, where he won gold medals.

This year Arshad has struggled in two international meets and faced sharp criticism after his ninth-place finish in the Commonwealth Games final.

After the South Africa camp, Arshad is expected to compete at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest from September 6 to 14 and will then participate in the Asian Games.