Tag: Olympics

  • Hey Pak govt, aren’t we sporty enough for you?

    Hey Pak govt, aren’t we sporty enough for you?

    Sports in any country is a celebrated sector of society. It brings pride and recognition to a country. Sports are symbolic of life. Life demands discipline, resilience, respect, compassion, teamwork, and character. Sports help develop those skills to apply on the playing field and in life. In any country, the state invests in their sports and the individuals playing them. Pakistan does just the opposite of it.

    Pakistan chooses to forget its most talented and has a way of neglecting its sportsmen and sportswomen. Cricket and our men in green are a source of continuous pride for the country but there are other sports and players who too wear green with pride, and give it their all to bring us glory.

    Our teams have gone to the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics but the players participating tell the same stories of negligence and their individual hard work. So what is that the players say? One: They need the state to pay attention to them. Two: Recognise the talent and show confidence in them when they are trying to develop their skills and polish themselves for the better. Three: Give them better training so that they can perform well and bring gold, silver, and bronze medals back home. Four: Treat them as equal and as important as they would treat a person playing cricket. Five: Don’t take credit for our individual wins as you have not invested in us. They ask the state to actually invest in them so that they can stand tall amongst the best.

    What does the state do instead? The state has been in a habit of neglecting the raw and the talented, barring them from the opportunities which could have done wonders for the games, players, and the country. Yes, in recent times we see a prime minister congratulating a gold medalist but is congratulations enough? Don’t they deserve better training, better chances, and a better future? We can only hope that the state realises that mixed fortunes become the fate of many players in Pakistan because they were left out at some point. We can only hope that the state realises that every sport matters, every game matters, and every player is worth fighting for and that he and she deserves to get the best facilities. May our talented players keep making us proud.

  • Asian Games 2022 in China postponed due to Covid

    Asian Games 2022 in China postponed due to Covid

    This year’s Asian Games have been postponed for an indefinite period as China tries to stamp out a large resurgence in Covid infections in several parts of the country. The event was scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 10-25, 2022.

    According to the official statement by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the new dates will be agreed between the OCA, the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC) and will be announced in the near future.

    “HAGOC has been very well prepared to deliver the games on time despite global challenges. However, the above decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the games,” the statement further reads.

    However, last month the organisers of the games said that Hangzhou has completed constructing some 56 competition venues for the Asian Games and Asian Para Games.

    It is pertinent to mention that more than 11,000 athletes from 44 countries were to take part in the 19th Asian Games in September 2022.

    It has also been confirmed by the OCA that the 3rd Asian Youth Games 2021, originally scheduled to be held last year but was rescheduled for this year, are now officially cancelled.

    Most international sporting events in China have been postponed or cancelled since the start of the pandemic, with the notable exception of the Winter Olympics, which went ahead in Beijing under strict health controls in February.

  • Olympian Talha Talib writes to weightlifting federation after positive dope test

    Olympian weightlifter Talha Talib has written a letter to the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) after his dope test was found to be positive.

    In his letter to PWF, Talha wrote: “he had no idea about the presence of a prohibited substance in his body,” stating that he would “never even think of violating doping rules.”

    He further said: “he could have made an unintentional mistake, which could be due to lack of knowledge, and for that, he tenders apology to everyone ”.

    On April 8, Talha Talib failed to get a negative result of the dope test on which he got banned from taking part in the Birmingham Commonwealth games and the Olympics.

    Prior to this, Talha Talib won the country’s first-ever medal at the World Weightlifting Championship last year in Uzbekistan by winning a Bronze in the snatch event in the 67kg category. He has come into the limelight when he missed two points to get a medal for Pakistan in the last Olympics. 

  • Olympian Talha Talib tested positive in dope test, likely to get ban

    Olympian weightlifter, Talha Talib has tested positive for taking prohibited substances to improve performance. The tests were carried out under the authority of the International Testing Agency along with International Weightlifting Federation on Friday. It was conducted in two cities Gujranwala and Lahore for all Pakistani weightlifters.

    According to the reports, some substances of prohibited drugs were found in the blood of three weightlifters including Talha Talib. He has been banned from taking participating in the Birmingham Commonwealth games and the Olympics. In addition, Talha Talib could a face ban for at least four years.

    It is to be mentioned here that Talha Talib won the country’s first-ever medal at the World Weightlifting Championship last year in Uzbekistan by winning a Bronze in the snatch event in the 67kg category.

    He has come into the limelight when he missed two points to get a medal for Pakistan in the last Olympics. Many celebrities and politicians lauded his debut performance in Olympics.

  • ‘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.

  • Olympic finalist Arshad Nadeem had no ground to practice, says father

    Olympic finalist Arshad Nadeem had no ground to practice, says father

    Pakistani Olympian Arshad Nadeem’s father has claimed that he had no ground to practice and worked on his own without any support from the government.

    Read More – ‘Will give reward to Arshad Nadeem if he wins Gold in Olympics’: Hassan Ali

    According to Geo News, Muhammad Ashraf, father of javelin thrower Arshad, revealed that his son did not even have a ground to practice.

    Muhammad Ashraf further shared that Arshad was initially interested in cricket but he suggested his son try javelin throw instead.

    Nadeem’s father, who works as a mason to bear the expenses of Arshad’s training, said that Arshad trained in his own house’s courtyard and streets. Money for fitness machines was also provided by his father.

    He added that the government provided no support to Arshad and the expenses of sending him to Multan, Faisalabad, and Lahore for practice were completely borne by him.

    Arshad’s younger brother is also a javelin thrower and he is in Lahore for training.

    Muhammad Ashraf demanded that the government support young athletes and build grounds where athletes can practice.

    Arshad topped his group during the group stage competition and ranked third in both the groups. He will be participating in the final contest on August 7.

    Taking to Twitter, Arshad appealed to the people of Pakistan to pray for him for the final competition.

    https://twitter.com/ArshadNaadeem/status/1423108260811485184?s=20
  • Olympic gymnast Simone Biles will compete in balance beam finals after withdrawal

    Olympic gymnast Simone Biles will compete in balance beam finals after withdrawal

    Simone Biles will compete in Tuesday’s August 3 women’s balance beam final, USA Gymnastics confirmed on Monday, August 2. The balance beam final is the last medal round for women’s artistic gymnastics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

    “We are so excited to confirm that you will see two US athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow – Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!!” read a tweet from the US federation. “Can’t wait to watch you both!”

    Biles had qualified to all four of the apparatus finals, scheduled for August 1-3 but eventually withdrew from all but balance beam. Earlier in Tokyo, she withdrew from the team competition after getting lost in midair and from the all-around final entirely to focus on her mental health.

    On her Instagram story Friday, Biles detailed her struggles in training with the “twisties,” a gymnastics term for when a gymnast’s body and mind seemingly stop working together.

    “My mind and body are simply not in sync,” Biles wrote in one of her story slides. “For anyone saying I quit. I didn’t quit.”

    The 24-year-old also posted now deleted videos showing her getting lost in the air on two attempts at her uneven bars dismount, a double-twisting, double back.

    Biles explained she had previously suffered from the phenomenon but only on floor and vault. Tokyo is the first time they have bled into other events.

    “They’re not fun to deal with,” she said. “It’s honestly petrifying trying to do a skill… not having your mind and body in.”

    The world’s most dominant gymnast praised her teammates for winning USA team silver at Tokyo 2020 after admitting that continuing might have cost them a medal. Biles said she was looking forward to a “good mental rest” ahead of deciding whether to take part in further competition at these Games.

  • British swimmer Tom Daley knits while watching Olympic springboard final

    British swimmer Tom Daley knits while watching Olympic springboard final

    British swimmer Tom Daley, the Olympic gold medalist, caused a stir among Olympic TV viewers watching the women’s 3m springboard final on Sunday morning, when the cameras panned to the spectator stands and caught Tom watching the action while knitting.

    Social media was deluged with images of the 27-year-old, wearing his Team GB kit and obligatory mask, wielding needles and purple wool in the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

    The moment came ahead of the third round of dives, shortly after China’s Shi Tingmao completed her second dive, cementing her lead. No British divers were competing.

    Read More – German gymnasts wear full-body suits at Olympics to promote freedom of choice

    “The one thing that has kept me sane throughout this whole process is my love for knitting and crochet and all things stitching,” Daley said in a video posted to his knitting and crochet account.

    He also made a little medal case to prevent it from any scratches. The pouch is emblazoned with the Union Jack on one side and the Japanese flag on the other.

    The British diver, who won his first Olympic gold alongside Matty Lee in the synchronised 10m platform event last Monday, has called knitting “his secret weapon”.

  • Pakistani Olympian Mahoor Shahzad apologises for her racist comments about ‘Pathans’

    Pakistani Olympian Mahoor Shahzad apologises for her racist comments about ‘Pathans’

    Pakistani Olympian and the flag bearer for Pakistan at Tokyo Olympics, Mahoor Shahzad, apologised for her racist comments about Pathans (Pashtuns).

    A video clip of the badminton player has gone viral on social media. In the 21-second clip, which was recorded after her second defeat in Olympics’ badminton event on Tuesday, she can be heard saying: “People appreciated me a lot, but yes, there are some of our badminton players, who are Pathan. And because I am the number one [badminton player] in Pakistan and played in Olympics, so some of our Pakistani badminton players are really jealous at how I have reached this position.”

    “Pakistanis have a problem that they don’t want to do something good nor do they let anyone else do it,” Shahzad said before the clip ends.

    https://twitter.com/NKMalazai/status/1420295301206712326?s=20

    On early Wednesday [Pakistan time], Shahzad posted an apology note on her social media accounts.

    “I am writing this apology for my Pathan brothers,” she said. “In no way I intend to pass any racist comments. There are some Pakistani badminton players who are running a negative campaign against me, so I only referred to them in this video.”

    “I am sorry from the core of my heart for hurting the feelings of my Pathan brothers and sisters.”

    “Whatever I have achieved and where I stand today is because of the love and support of all of you,” she said.

  • Bahawalpur Police deny rumours: Samiullah Khan statue intact

    Bahawalpur Police deny rumours: Samiullah Khan statue intact

    Bahawalpur Police, in a tweet, clarified that the statue of hockey legend Samiullah Khan is intact, stating that the police checked it after rumours started circulating on social media about its hockey stick, ball getting stolen again.

    A video on social media shows that the hockey stick and ball were missing, again.

    Prior to this, the police arrested a suspect for stealing the items from the statue. The theft occurred less than two weeks after the statue of hockey player Samiullah was set up at a crossing to honour him.

    However, after that incident, the administration restored the statue to its original condition.

    Khan, now 69, is a former and veteran hockey player. He made Pakistan proud at the international level, winning a bronze medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics and a gold medal in Asian Games 1978, 1982.