“Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal! Wow, amazing! Long live Pakistan!”
I was at Jeddah’s “Al Baik” restaurant when suddenly, a group of Pakistanis at a nearby table started celebrating. I was already aware of the news through social media. One of the Pashtun brothers, speaking in sweet Urdu with a Pashto accent, told his companions, “This is Saudi Arabia, don’t make too much noise or the police might come.” A Punjabi brother proudly said, “Arshad is from our Mian Channu.” The pride I felt at that moment reminded me of the Champions Trophy when Pakistan’s cricket team, under the leadership of Sarfraz Ahmed, won the trophy at The Oval in London.
Fortunately, I was present at the ground at that time. These days, I am in Saudi Arabia for Umrah, and seeing the joy of my fellow countrymen filled my heart with happiness. Social media and traditional media are all talking about Arshad. Undoubtedly, his achievement is tremendous. Cricket is a sport limited to a few countries, mainly of interest to South Asian fans. But the Olympics are watched by everyone, and there isn’t a major newspaper in the world that hasn’t praised Arshad’s feat.
We Pakistanis had been waiting a long time for some good news, which, thankfully, has now arrived. We always expect something great from the cricket team, which has recently been disappointing. Cricketers earn in a month what athletes like Arshad might not even see in a year. If you look at the homes of Arshad and a cricketer who has played just ten matches, you’ll see the difference in lifestyle. There was a time when our cricket team was dominating the world, and players thought about the country, not money. But then money took over, and the leagues made it worse. The ODI World Cup was about to be held in India, and our players were fighting with the board over money. The performance is there for everyone to see.
In the T20 World Cup, the nation had high hopes, but all we got was disappointment. We even lost to the USA. What 11 cricketers couldn’t do, Arshad Nadeem did on his own. Cricketers should learn from him. Here, even an average international cricketer gets cricket gear for free. I remember a while back we published a news story that Arshad didn’t even have the money to buy a javelin. No matter who is in government, sports are always the last priority. Even a sportsman Prime Minister like Imran Khan abolished departmental sports.
Despite the lack of facilities, Arshad won a gold medal, and he deserves all the praise for it. We had dreamt of the cricket team winning and the players parading around the city in an open-top bus, but sadly, that didn’t happen. When I saw the Indian team’s reception after becoming champions, I wondered when we would get such moments. But thankfully, the wait is over. Sports not only keep the younger generation engaged in constructive activities but also promote national unity. Today’s youth especially need a good occupation to bring them out of the virtual world and into the real one.
The government has a golden opportunity to create an environment that encourages athletes and provides them with full facilities. Then let’s see how many medals we win. Medals not only bring fame to the country but also inspire other players to achieve something. You’ll see how many young people will now turn to javelin throw after Arshad’s success. Departmental sports have been restored in name only; teams like those of the past have not been formed yet. The government should do something about this. Jobs will encourage the new generation to take up sports.
Just like cricket, there is intense competition between India and Pakistan in javelin throw. Neeraj Chopra is a big star, but unlike our cricketers, he isn’t afraid. He openly befriends Pakistanis. Neeraj is always seen encouraging Arshad. After the competition, his mother said that Arshad is like her son. For that, she deserves a gold medal as well. In the hate-filled Indian society, people like them are the hope for friendship between the two countries.
Indian cricketers are afraid to talk about Pakistan. Even if a Pakistani plays well, they don’t praise them. But Neeraj and his family don’t seem narrow-minded. Right now, there is a celebratory atmosphere in our country. Arshad Nadeem deserves to be weighed in gold, but unfortunately, even in these times, there’s a race to take credit. The opposition claims it as their achievement, and the government wants to wear the crown. But in reality, all the credit for this victory should go to Arshad Nadeem alone. Despite insufficient facilities, he has done what athletes with millions in budgets couldn’t achieve.
This medal is the result of his hard work and dedication. Let’s leave the credit aside and think about how to make the country a sports-loving nation again. Provide athletes with full facilities, increase the sports budget, and truly restore departmental sports. Then, in the next Olympics, when we win medals, feel free to take the credit. Out of 250 million Pakistanis, only 7 went to the Olympics—this is our biggest shame. Ensure that this doesn’t happen next time. Don’t forget Arshad; instead, make sure he never faces financial difficulties for life. Although he’s receiving millions in rewards, thank you, Arshad Nadeem, for giving us Pakistanis these moments of joy. Earlier, people wanted their children to be like Babar Azam, but now perhaps they wish for children like Arshad Nadeem.