By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s athletics federation on Sunday slapped a lifetime ban on Salman Butt, the coach of Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem, for “gross violations” of its constitution, amid a probe into the athlete’s recent poor performance.
The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) said the decision was aimed at upholding “transparency, constitutional compliance, and organisational integrity within the federation”. It comes as the body seeks answers for Nadeem’s ninth-place finish in the men’s javelin final at last month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo — a sharp decline from his gold medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Nadeem’s underwhelming outing in Tokyo stands in stark contrast to his dominant run over the past few years, where he etched his name in history as Pakistan’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist in track and field. The ninth-place finish prompted an inquiry from AFP, which demanded that his coach explain the underwhelming performance.
In a detailed response submitted last week, Butt rejected allegations of non-cooperation and instead accused the federation of distancing itself from Nadeem’s training and development over the past year, a factor he believes contributed to the athlete’s dip in form. The coach reminded the federation that he has been working with Nadeem since 2021, during which time the javelin thrower brought unprecedented glory to Pakistan, including a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, four additional golds, and one silver in international competitions between 2022 and 2025. “No athlete can remain at their peak throughout their career,” Butt wrote, adding that he remains committed to coaching Nadeem “as long as the athlete wishes.”
Butt dismissed suggestions that he had refused to share training details, calling such claims “completely baseless.” Instead, he accused the AFP of failing to stay engaged with Nadeem’s progress. He revealed that much of Nadeem’s overseas training was privately funded by one of his close friends, not by the federation. His coach also revealed that the athlete’s preparation was disrupted by a leg injury on July 4, which required surgery in England, followed by a three-week rehabilitation stint in London before traveling to Tokyo. Explaining the disappointing performance, Butt said Nadeem was still in recovery and struggled in the hot, humid conditions of Tokyo, where the hard runway surface aggravated pain in his operated leg.
Butt concluded his letter by urging collective accountability within Pakistan’s sporting system. “When we celebrate victories together, we must also share responsibility for defeats.”
According to a press release issued by the AFP, the executive committee met on October 10 under president Wajahat Hussain Sahi and took “significant disciplinary and administrative decisions”. “After careful review and deliberation, the Executive Committee imposed a lifetime ban on Salman Butt, former office bearer of the Punjab Athletics Association (PAA), for gross violations of the AFP Constitution, on which he himself is a signatory,” the release said. “Butt is henceforth barred for life from participating in any athletics activity — whether as an athlete, coach, official, or office bearer — at both national and international levels, inside or outside Pakistan.”
Butt has the right to appeal against the lifetime ban, as per the constitution. Butt was appointed by the AFP as Nadeem’s coach after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where the athlete finished fifth in the men’s javelin final. Under Butt’s guidance, Nadeem went on to win gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, and gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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