Web Desk: Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem has travelled to South Africa for a training camp without obtaining a reported no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), raising questions about the arrangements for the country’s leading athlete.
A senior PSB source said Nadeem did not notify the board before travelling to South Africa, where he is training with his coach Terseus Liebenberg ahead of two major competitions in September.
The source said the board had recorded that Nadeem left Pakistan without securing the required clearance.
The development has prompted questions about who would oversee the athlete’s arrangements and provide official support if he encounters difficulties while abroad.
Nadeem, 29, is using the South Africa camp to prepare for the World Ultimate Athletics Championship in Hungary, scheduled for Sept. 11-13.
He will then travel to Japan for the Asian Games, which are due to take place from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.
The training stint comes at a crucial stage for Nadeem, who is seeking to regain his best form after a below-par performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The defending champion finished ninth in the 12-athlete javelin final and missed out on the additional attempts awarded to the top eight competitors.
Nadeem’s Glasgow result marked a significant departure from his performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he won gold with a Games-record throw of 90.18 metres.
His peak came two years later at the Paris Olympics, where he produced a 92.97-metre effort to win gold and set an Olympic record. The victory also made him Pakistan’s first individual Olympic champion.
Since then, Nadeem has continued to collect major titles, including gold medals at the Islamic Games and Asian Championships. However, his recent distances have not consistently reached the level that established him among the world’s elite javelin throwers.
As a result, the South Africa camp is expected to play an important role in helping him rebuild his consistency and confidence before the upcoming championships.
Liebenberg, who is overseeing Nadeem’s training in South Africa, said the athlete needed to reset after reaching the pinnacle of his career in Paris.
He said Nadeem had spent years working toward becoming Pakistan’s first individual Olympic champion and now needed to establish fresh targets and renew his motivation for success.
Liebenberg also backed the javelin thrower to recover his best form, pointing to his strong mentality and determination.
The coach’s assessment comes as Nadeem attempts to put his recent disappointment behind him and prepare for another demanding international schedule.
The issue carries added significance because the PSB has taken a more prominent role in Nadeem’s affairs since his historic Olympic victory.
The Athletics Federation of Pakistan has played a limited role in managing the athlete since then, while the PSB and coach Salman Butt have been involved in overseeing his affairs.
Nadeem’s decision to organise the South Africa training camp independently has therefore raised concerns over coordination and accountability during his time overseas.
Attempts to contact Nadeem and Butt for comment were unsuccessful.
For now, Nadeem’s attention remains on his preparations in South Africa as he looks to rediscover the form that made him an Olympic champion and one of the world’s leading javelin throwers.
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