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Journalism of Courage
In a shocking turn of events, Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation (PAAF) has banned Salman Iqbal, longtime coach and mentor of Olympic champion javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, for lifetime.
As reported by PTI, Iqbal is banned by PAAF for violating the constitution of the the Punjab Athletics Association where he holds the position of President. Under the life ban, Iqbal cannot take part in any activities related to Athletics in any capacity including coach or administrator.
The violations the Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation (PAAF) has accused Iqbal of committing by holding elections of the Punjab body occurred back in August. An inquiry committee was formed in mid-September and it recommended the ban on Iqbal on October 10, a day after his reply to the PSB came out.
However, the decision appears to be linked to the recent critical reply sent by Iqbal to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) when he was asked to explain Nadeem’s poor performance at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. “Arshad’s performance was hampered by the surgery he underwent for his calf muscle problem and in Tokyo the track was hard and the weather hot and humid and this affected performances of many athletes in different events,” Iqbal said in his reply, disclosing that the Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation had for the last one year or so disassociated itself from anything to do with Nadeem.
When PSB asked about the expenses incurred on the Olympic champion’s training and travel. Iqbal said that he had to seek financial assistance from a friend to ensure that Pakistan’s top athlete was able to train in South Africa apart from help him complete his rehab after sustaining a calf muscle injury.
He also wrote that when the entire country can rejoice Nadeem’s achievements he also needs to be supported if for once he has not come up to the expectations.
The revelations from Iqbal came as a shock to everyone given Nadeem has brought numerous pride and honor for the country since 2022. He stunned everyone by becoming the first-ever Pakistani athlete to win Olympic gold with an Olympic record throw at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Before that, he won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and silver medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Besides these international achievements, Nadeem also comfortably won the Javelin gold in the Asian Athletics Championships this year.
Nadeem’s rivalry with Neeraj Chopra has boosted the growth of the sport in the Indian subcontinent with four athletes from the region making the 12 man final in Tokyo. However, like Nadeem, Neeraj also had a poor outing at the Worlds finishing eighth in the final.
