PM announces Hilal-i-Imtiaz for Pakistan ace javelin thrower for his splendid achievement at Olympics.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday hosted a lavish dinner for the country’s pride and ace javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, who won a gold medal at Paris Olympics 2024.
Nadeem along with his mother and family received a grand welcome by PM Shehbaz when they reached the Prime Minister House for the feast.
While addressing a ceremony after the dinner, the prime minister announced a prize of Rs150 million, one of the many rewards to honour the Pakistani star as the country’s citizens continue to celebrate the high feat achieved he achieved prior to the festivities of Independence Day on Wednesday.
The esteemed reward was declared by the premier in regards to Nadeem’s incredible performance at the sports event setting a new record and securing a gold medal.
Expressing his delight by the javelin ace’s accomplishment, PM Shehbaz also announced the decision of naming the road leading to Islamabad’s F9 from F10 sector after the Nadeem and called it a splendid gift for the nation ahead of the Independence Day (August 14).
The premier also announced to honour the athlete with the second highest civilian award, Hilal-i-Imtiaz.
Disclosing his plans for the 2028 Olympics, the prime minister said that youth and athletes will receive training at a sports academy, which will soon be established inside the Jinnah Stadium Islamabad. The training centre will be named “Arshad Nadeem High Performance Academy”.
“Young athletes will be trained to participate in the next Olympics by receiving training in this academy,” PM Shehbaz added.
Moreover, the premier also announced a sports endowment fund worth Rs1 million for the prosperity of the players, needs of the retired players and provision of better training opportunities for them.
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Earlier, Nadeem and his family, who arrived in Islamabad on a charter plane were accorded a warm welcome and state protocol at the Nur Khan Airbase.
Talking to the media on the occasion, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who received Nadeem, said that the gold medallist is a national hero and a state guest.
He said that besides the banquet hosted at the PM House in Arshad’s honour, the athlete has been invited to the main Independence Day ceremony, where he would unfurl the Pakistani flag alongside PM Shehbaz in the flag hoisting event.
