NEW DELHI: Controversy has erupted in Pakistan’s sporting community around a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in honour of Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem.
Several former hockey Olympians have publicly expressed their discontent, alleging that their invitations to the event were rescinded at the last minute due to “guest management” issues.
Rao Saleem Nazim, a former Olympian and head of the former Pakistan hockey players forum, revealed that numerous hockey stalwarts received invitations and subsequent email confirmations from the Prime Minister’s House.
“The PM House had sent invitations to several hockey stalwarts to attend the function and they all got emails confirming their invitations. But at the last moment many of us got a message from the PM secretariat that since they were finding it difficult to adjust the number of guests, the invitations had been withdrawn,” Rao said.
This abrupt reversal has sparked outrage among the affected athletes, who perceive it as a sign of disrespect towards their contributions to Pakistan‘s sporting legacy. Rao questioned the optics of honouring an Olympic gold medalist while simultaneously sidelining individuals who have secured multiple Olympic medals for the nation in hockey.
“Is this how you show respect to players who have brought not one but several Olympic medals in hockey for the country?” he added.
He highlighted the stark contrast by referencing Pakistan’s last Olympic gold medal, won by the national hockey team in 1983, and the bronze medal secured in the same sport in 1992, marking the country’s last Summer Games medal.
The incident has ignited a debate about the treatment of former athletes and the perceived hierarchy within Pakistani sports.
While Arshad Nadeem’s historic achievement deserves celebration, the controversy underscores the need for sensitivity and inclusivity when recognizing sporting accomplishments, particularly in a nation grappling with a decline in its once-dominant hockey program.