Home Cricket Facts Denmark’s Kaneria criticizes Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s symbolic reward for Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem

Denmark’s Kaneria criticizes Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s symbolic reward for Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem

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Denmark’s Kaneria criticizes Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s symbolic reward for Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem


Former Pakistani javelin thrower Danish Kaneria has criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his gesture of handing over a cheque to Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem. Nadeem clinched Pakistan’s first Olympic gold medal in 32 years with a record-breaking 92.97m javelin throw in the men’s final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

With his victory, Pakistan won its first individual gold medal at the Olympic Games. Previously, Pakistan had won only three Olympic gold medals, all in field hockey, in 1960, 1968 and 1984. Nadeem’s triumph was a significant milestone for both the player and Pakistan.

Denmark’s Kaneria criticises Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s insulting monetary award to historic Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem

Despite such a historic triumph at the Olympics, Nadeem received only PKR 10 million (approx. INR 3 lakh) from the Prime Minister, and even he posted a picture holding the cheque alongside the Olympic gold medallist and Pakistan’s first ever Olympic men’s javelin throw champion.

In his congratulatory message, Sharif wrote: “Bravo, Arshad 👏🏻! You made history! Pakistan’s first ever Olympic men’s javelin champion ArsNadeem @ArshadOlympian1,ian1 takes home a historic gold medal at #Paris2024. You have made the entire nation proud of you, young man.”

Responding to the honour bestowed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister on Nadeem, Kaneria has termed this amount as disrespectful towards the Olympic gold medallist and his remarkable achievement. The former Pakistani spinner has pointed out that the prize money was significantly less compared to the prize amounts given by other countries to their Olympic heroes.

Kaneria demands greater recognition for Olympic gold medalist Nadeem

Nadeem is even expected to receive around INR 42 lakh as prize money for winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Taking a cue from Prime Minister Sharif, Kaneria pointed out that the cost of a round-trip flight from Lahore to Paris alone is around PKR 2,43,069 (almost INR 74,000).

Kaneria has urged the Prime Minister to offer a more respectful reward to Nadeem for his historic achievement at the Olympics. Kaneria posted on X: “Mr Prime Minister, at least offer him a gracious congratulations. Delete the picture of the one million rupees you gave him; it does nothing for his actual needs. This amount is so small that he cannot even afford the flight tickets. It is an insult to both Arshad and the nation, considering his constant struggles.”

The former Pakistani thrower also congratulated Nadeem for winning the gold and setting a new Olympic record in the javelin throw. Kaneria shared a picture of Nadeem on X and posted, “Congratulations to Arshad Nadeem 🇵🇰 for winning the gold and setting a new Olympic record in the men’s javelin throw at the Paris Olympics. What an incredible achievement! #Olympics #PakistanPride.”

My training and hard work has paid off – Nadeem

It is noteworthy that Nadeem had said about his rivalry with Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra after winning the gold, “My training and hard work has paid off. Just like in cricket, the rivalry in javelin throw was there! People in Pakistan and India were eager to see us compete together. Rivalry exists when it comes to cricket matches, other sports, the two countries have a rivalry but it is good that youngsters from both countries are watching our sport and following us. It is a positive thing for both countries.”

It is worth noting that Chopra had to settle for silver at the Olympics.



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