Tag: Olympics 2020

  • Olympian Neeraj Chopra disappointed with ‘vested interest’ of Indian Media

    Olympian Neeraj Chopra disappointed with ‘vested interest’ of Indian Media

    Indian Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has come out in defence of his fellow javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem saying that there was nothing wrong in what Nadeem did on the field.

    He slammed netizens and Indian media for spreading propaganda.

    Chopra tweeted a video with the caption:”I would request everyone to please not use me and my comments as a medium to further your vested interests and propaganda. Sports teaches us to be together and united. I’m extremely disappointed to see some of the reactions from the public on my recent comments.”

    In the video, Neeraj says, “I want to say that one issue has come up about something I said in an interview; that I took the javelin from Arshad Nadeem, the Pakistani javelin thrower. So, a huge controversy is being created around this statement.

    “It’s a very simple thing. We (javelin throwers) keep our personal javelins at the field and everyone and anyone can use that javelin. It is a rule. So, there’s nothing wrong in it. He was just preparing for his throw with that javelin and then I asked for the javelin back.

    “So it is not such a big thing, and I am very sad that some people are using my name to create a big issue about it. I request you to not do it. Sports teaches all of us to walk together.”

    Neeraj also requested people not to use his name as a medium to further their vested interests and propagandas. “I would request everyone to please not use me and my comments as a medium to further your vested interests and propaganda. Sports teaches us to be together and united. I’m extremely disappointed to see some of the reactions from the public on my recent comments.”

    “All of us javelin throwers share a lot of love. We all have good conversations. So please refrain from saying things that will hurt us,” Neeraj concluded.

    The 23-year-old athlete is the first Gold medal winner after the 2008 Beijing Olympics for India. Abhinav Bindra was the last person to win a Gold medal for India, while Arshad stood fifth in the contest.

  • Waqar Zaka welcomes national hero Arshad Nadeem, rewards $5000

    Waqar Zaka welcomes national hero Arshad Nadeem, rewards $5000

    Waqar Zaka has welcomed Arshad Nadeem at the Lahore airport and rewarded him with $5000 (10 lac Pakistani rupees) as a token of appreciation as the athlete qualified for the final competition of ‘Javelin throw’ at the Tokyo Olympics.

    Arshad was given a warm welcome upon his return to Pakistan.

    In his hometown, Mian Channu, he was welcomed by a crowd of admirers chanting his name alongside slogans of “Pakistan Zindabad”.

    https://twitter.com/makhdoomab/status/1425589111390457859?s=20

    Yesterday, the Punjab government announced a cash prize worth one million rupees each for javelin thrower Arshad, weightlifter Talha Talib and mountaineer Shehroz Kashif for their recent celestial performances at the Olympics.

    Punjab Sports Minister Rai Taimur Khan Bhatti said Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar will hand the cash prizes to all the three athletes.

    “Arshad Nadeem is the first Pakistani track and field athlete who directly qualified [for Olympics],” said Rai Taimur Khan Bhatti.

    He added, “Arshad Nadeem and Talha Talib both made Pakistan famous.”

  • Fans gush over Pakistani Olympian Talha Talib’s hot picture

    Fans gush over Pakistani Olympian Talha Talib’s hot picture

    Pakistani weightlifter, who represented Pakistan in the Tokyo Olympics and held the gold medal spot until the final round, shared a picture of himself on Instagram and his fans are going crazy.

    “Don’t stop believing in yourself. No matter what happens,” wrote Talha, while sharing the picture.

    The 21-year-old weightlifter from Gujranwala took part in the 67kg category in the Tokyo Olympics, broke his own national record in the final round. He was eventually bumped down and finished fifth in the competition, lifting 170 kilograms. However, he was widely hailed in the country for his effort.

    Here are a few reactions from the fans on his post:

  • Olympian Arshad Nadeem requests fans to follow his official Twitter account

    Olympian Arshad Nadeem requests fans to follow his official Twitter account

    Pakistani Olympian Arshad Nadeem has requested his fans to follow his official Twitter account instead of fake accounts.

    Sharing a video on his Twitter account, Arshad said that he posted a video on Twitter and Instagram and made an apology for sharing the wrong information about his social media account.

    “Sorry I said 26 instead of 76. I was supposed to say Arshad Nadeem 76 and mistakenly I said 26. I don’t know who that person is but he has made an account with the name of Arshad Nadeem 26. So, kindly follow my official Twitter account with the handle name ‘Arshad Nadeem 76’.”

    https://twitter.com/Arshadnadeem76/status/1425278074501861382?s=20

    The 24-year-old athlete from Mian Channu finished fifth in the javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics and received wide acclaim back home for his achievement with little resources at his disposal.

  • Punjab govt announces Rs1 million cash rewards for Arshad, Talha and Shehroz

    Punjab govt announces Rs1 million cash rewards for Arshad, Talha and Shehroz

    The Punjab government on Tuesday announced cash rewards of Rs1 million for javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, weightlifter Talha Talib and mountaineer Shehroz Kashif for their recent stellar performances at the global level.

    Read More – CM Punjab Buzdar promises to ensure better sporting facilities for youth

    Nadeem missed out on an Olympic medal and finished fifth in the javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics, but the athlete from Mian Chunnu received wide acclaim back home for his achievement with little resources at his disposal.

    Similarly, 21-year-old weightlifter Talha Talib from Gujranwala took part in the 67kg category in the Tokyo Olympics and held the gold medal spot until the final round before eventually being bumped down and finishing fifth in the competition. However, he was widely hailed in the country for his effort.

    Kashif, 19, had on July 27 become the youngest person to reach the summit of K2. The world’s second-highest peak at a height of 8,611 metres (28,251 foot) above sea level, with the aid of bottled oxygen.

    Hailing the athletes for their remarkable gains, Punjab Sports Minister Rai Taimur Khan Bhatti said the nation watched the Tokyo Olympics with zeal, while Pakistan’s participants Nadeem and Talib “did really well” in the competition.

    Addressing a press conference, Bhatti said he would personally visit the airport to receive Nadeem. The minister said that the Government of Punjab had always supported and encouraged sports persons.

    He also announced an award of Rs0.5m for Nadeem’s coach.

    The minister further said the Punjab government would bear travel expenses of Haider Ali and Nabila Baig, who will take part in the Paralympic Games.

  • ‘Arshad Nadeem played cricket very well’: Meera refers to him as a ‘Cricketer’

    ‘Arshad Nadeem played cricket very well’: Meera refers to him as a ‘Cricketer’

    Actor Meera’s recent press interaction has gone viral on the web as she appreciated Arshad Nadeem for his ‘cricket performance’ instead of ‘Javelin Throw’.

    Read More – Arshad Nadeem’s failure in the Olympics because of extensive use of social media: Chief, Pak team

    “Arshad played good cricket and he uplifted Pakistan’s name. A lot of hard work was visible in his performance. There was honesty, discipline in his body language. I think the government should acknowledge our heroes and reward them,” she said.

    The clip from this interview has gone viral on social media and has received polarizing response from the netizens.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Arshad finished fifth in the Javelin Throw event of the Tokyo Olympics 2020. He threw fifth-best throw covering a distance of 84.62m.

  • Neeraj Chopra wanted Arshad Nadeem to win medal in Tokyo 2020 Olympics

    Neeraj Chopra wanted Arshad Nadeem to win medal in Tokyo 2020 Olympics

    India’s javelin Gold winner Neeraj Chopra said that he wanted to share the Tokyo 2020 Olympics podium with Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem.

    Speaking to News 18, the 23-year-old, who became India’s first historic athletic Gold winner with a 87.58m throw, said that he would have loved it if the Pakistani athlete won a medal as it would have put Asia on the map.

    Arshad, who was Pakistan’s last medal hope, finished 5th with his best throw of 84.62m, 0.82m behind bronze medalist Vitezslav Vesely.

    “[It would have been] good to have Nadeem on the podium too. Asia ka naam ho jata [Asia would have made a name],” Neeraj said.

    When asked about Indo-Pak rivalry, the athlete did not think it was fair to drag the hype over to the Olympics and felt that it was best left in cricket.

    “It’s okay to do the comparisons in cricket where 7-8 countries are taking part but not fair in Olympics,” he said.

    Arshad congratulated the Indian athlete on winning the Gold medal and called him his favourite.

    https://twitter.com/ArshadNadeemPak/status/1424596874984570887?s=20
    https://twitter.com/ArshadNadeemPak/status/1424312756833067021?s=20
  • PM Khan shares this video but TikTok is banned in Pakistan

    PM Khan shares this video but TikTok is banned in Pakistan

    Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan at the conclusion of the Olympic Games on Sunday, shared a message for his followers on social media, featuring a Tiktok video that conveys the importance of not giving up.

    Read More – PM Imran Khan wants Tiktok to be banned

    “I want the youth of Pakistan to watch the race and learn the most important lesson that sports taught me: you only lose when you give up,” wrote the premier.

    The 62-second clip shared by PM Imran Khan shows an athlete falling down on his face during a sprint before getting back on his feet again and finishing ahead of everyone else.

    It is the fourth time that the wildly popular video sharing app has been blocked in Pakistan and the third time this year. Free speech advocates are critical of growing censorship since PM Imran Khan took office in 2018.

    The app has been caught up in a series of legal battles with religious activists and authorities. Prior to this shutdown, the app was barred for two days in early July on the order of a provincial court.

    Read More – Justice Athar Minallah expresses anger over TikTok ban, asks PTA for justification

    Despite being hugely popular and useful to many who market and sell goods online in Pakistan, TikTok has many critics in the country who claim the app promotes vulgarity.

    In June, the company announced it had removed more than siz million videos in just the previous three months alone as a result of complaints from officials and citizens alike. Of those six million videos, 15% were pulled because of “adult nudity and sexual activities.”

    The first time that Pakistan moved to block TikTok in 2020, the ban was lifted after diplomatic pressure from China and assurances from Byte Dance, the parent company, with regards to content moderation.

  • CM Punjab Buzdar promises to ensure better sporting facilities for youth

    CM Punjab Buzdar promises to ensure better sporting facilities for youth

    Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has promised to ensure better sporting facilities for youth in Pakistan.

    Taking to Twitter, CM said: “The whole nation is proud of Arshad Nadeem. He finished in top 5 but his determination will motivate and inspire Millions of Pakistanis.”

    “Punjab Government will Insha Allah ensure more and better sporting facilities for our youth to follow in the footsteps of Talha Talib and Arshad Nadeem,” said the CM.

    While several others encouraged both Arshad Nadeem and Talha Talib for their efforts in Olympics without any facility.

    Here are a few tweets from politicians, sportsmen and notables, encouraging Nadeem:

    https://twitter.com/76Shadabkhan/status/1423980451782397961?s=20

    Arshad congratulated the gold medalist Neeraj Chopra and apologised from the nation for letting them down.

    https://twitter.com/ArshadNadeemPak/status/1423983262406483972?s=20

    The 24-year-old athlete finished fifth among 12 contestants as India’s Neeraj won gold and Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Vitezslav Vesely claimed silver and bronze medals.

    Arshad Nadeem was aspiring to win Pakistan’s first Olympics medal since the men’s hockey team earned a podium finish in 1992.

    The athlete made history last week as he became first-ever Pakistani athlete to qualify for the final of any track and field event in the Olympics.

  • PM Khan, others pray for Arshad Nadeem’s win at Olympics Javelin Throw finals

    PM Khan, others pray for Arshad Nadeem’s win at Olympics Javelin Throw finals

    Prime Minister Imran Khan along with other politicians and notables have prayed for Arshad Nadeem, who will be competing for the finals of the Javelin Throw competition at Tokyo Olympics today.

    Taking to Twitter, PM office’s account wrote: “We pray for #ArshadNadeem’s podium finish in the finals of the Men’s Javelins Throw.”

    He further added: “With the nation’s prayers and your hard work, victory awaits you, Insha’Allah. Way to go, champ!”

    Other people who wished him luck include Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam, journalist Hamid Mir, actor Faysal Quraishi, among others.

    Arshad Nadeem, in a video message, thanked his fans for their prayers.