LAHORE: The campaign of Arshad Nadeem, the one realistic gold medal hope for Pakistan at the ongoing Asian Games, has abruptly ended in tragedy.

In a startling development, the 26-year-old javelin throw sensation, who shot to prominence after clinching silver medal at this year’s World Athletics Championship in Buda­pest, withdrew from the continental gala on Tuesday due to persistent pain caused by a chronic knee injury which the athlete had been carrying for the past several months. Arshad was set to compete in the javelin throw event in Hangzhou on Thursday.

The athlete’s impressive set of credentials, which also include gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, make him one of the top-rated sportspersons at the national as well as international level.

While the painful development left Pakistan’s fans dejected, conflicting views regarding Arshad’s injury from the officials concerned have exposed mismanagement, negligence and coordination on the part of the national sports officials.

Pakistan contingent’s chef de mission in Hangzhou says Arshad revealed he felt pain in the right knee during the very first training session he held on Sept 27 in China. On the other hand, secretary of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) Zafar Ahmad claims the athlete was fit before leaving for the Asian Games on Sept 26.

“After arrival in Hangzhou at the first training session on Sept 27, Arshad Nadeem revealed and complained to Dr Asad Abbas, who was accompanying him, that he has been grappling with persistent pain for several months, a concern that has become particularly pressing in the aftermath of the World Athletics Championship,” read a POA press release issued on Tuesday.

“On Oct 2, he again complained of pain in the right knee and expressed the desire to undergo an evaluation to determine the impact on his ability to participate in the javelin throw event of the Asian Games,” added the release.

“The chief medical officer of the Pakistan contingent recommended a comprehensive check-up. Arshad underwent a thorough medical examination, including a non-invasive test i.e. MRI at a local hospital here in Hangzhou. The MRI revealed a chronic injury which he has been carrying. After consulting the medical personnel, Arshad has now decided not to participate in the Asian Games in order to prevent any untoward situation that may hinder his training programme and participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

However, when contacted by Dawn, Zafar claimed that Arshad was quite fit before leaving for China.

“Yes, Arshad was fit at the time of [his] departure, as he successfully contested in the World Athletics Championships [in August] where he claimed silver medal. Later, he continued his training in Lahore, before leaving for Hangzhou,” the AFP secretary said.

“I could not make any contact with Arshad after the news about him getting unfit was aired on TV channels though I have been trying to contact him.

“ Arshad had some problem with his right knee for which he was operated upon successfully, and participated in the World Championship and the National Games [in Quetta], too. So, he was fit enough for the Asian Games,” the official added.

Meanwhile, Arshad’s coach Salman Iqbal Butt, who could not accompany the athlete to China after accreditation of the former was not applied for by the POA due to some technical reasons, expressed his disappointment.

“Generally, an athlete’s career is of short duration. He [Arshad] has a few such high-profile events in his life. And unfortunately he has lost a big opportunity to add another title under his belt due to which all Pakistan fans are dejected,” Salman said.

Salman said as he was not with Arshad currently, he was not in a position to comment regarding the player’s injury.

“I could not make contact with Arshad as Google does not work in China. And there is also a time difference of almost three hours,” the coach said.

It may be mentioned here that the AFP had protested against the POA for not approving Salman’s accreditation for the Asian Games, as his presence in Hangzhou was necessary for Arshad.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2023