Arshad Nadeem’s coach banned for life by Pakistan Athletics Federation

Nadeem is the reigning Olympic and CWG champion.

Salman Iqbal, long-time coach of Pakistan’s top javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, has been banned for life by the Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation (PAAF) for holding unauthorized elections at the Punjab Athletics Association (PAA), where he currently is the President.

Due to the ban, he will neither be allowed to participate in athletics activities nor serve as a coach or administrator.

The development follows an inquiry triggered by unauthorized elections held by Salman Iqbal and former secretary Syed Habib Shah in August, which gave only one day’s notice. Despite receiving a warning to stop the process, the duo went ahead with the elections.

The inquiry committee formed in mid-September recommended the ban on October 10, a day after Iqbal’s response to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) was made public.

The PSB had questioned Salman Iqbal about Nadeem’s underwhelming performance at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Here’s what he replied:

“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.”

According to Iqbal, PAAF had distanced itself from anything related to Arshad Nadeem. When asked by PSB about expenses incurred on Nadeem’s training and travel, Iqbal revealed that he took financial help from a friend to train the 28-year-old in South Africa and also help him recover from a calf injury.

It is worth noting that Nadeem has brought laurels to Pakistan in recent years. He secured a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Paris 2024 Olympics and a silver at the 2023 World Championships.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem head-to-head: Who holds the superior H2H in men’s javelin throw?

How did Arshad Nadeem perform at 2025 World Athletics Championships?

The qualification round of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo witnessed Nadeem finishing third with his throw of 85.28m. As a result, he made a cut to the 12-man final round.

Nadeem kicked off the final round with his under-par throw of 82.73m and followed it up with a foul. He then registered an 82.75m throw and a foul in his next attempt, which sealed his fate. The reigning Olympics champion finished 10th with his best attempt in the event.

Earlier this year, Nadeem etched his name into the history books at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi. His throw of 86.40m fetched Pakistan a gold medal for the first time in the event after 1973.

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