The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) told this correspondent that Arshad’s support staff has been given the accreditation for the Games in Riyadh, which will start on November 7.
The POA secretariat emphasised that they want to ensure that Arshad is given what he wants, and, therefore, efforts were made at the last minute on the President POA’s instruction to accommodate Butt and Bajwa’s accreditation. Arshad is the main medal hope for Pakistan, and the current defending champion of the games. He created the Games record in 2022 with a throw of 88.55 m in Konya.
Butt was handed a lifetime ban from all activities along with his secretary, Habib Shah, by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan Executive Committee on October 10, after in-depth inquiries, as he had violated the Athletics Federation of Pakistan’s constitution in his quest to extend his tenure as the president of Punjab Athletics Association. Butt was found guilty of a lack of transparency, constitutional compliance, and organisational compliance. It is the second time that he has been banned in the last 15 years.
“The Pakistan Olympic Association has accredited Mr. Arshad Nadeem as an IOC Olympic Solidarity Scholarship athlete for the Islamic Solidarity Games. His corresponding nomination was also transmitted by the Pakistan Sports Board.
His athlete support personnel, including Mr. Salman Iqbal Butt and Dr. Ali Sher Bajwa, are confirmed at the direction of the President POA, in view of Mr. Nadeem’s outstanding performance at Paris 2024 and his preference to continue training and competing with this team. Accordingly, Mr. Nadeem will compete at the Islamic Solidarity Games with the same support team,” the Pakistan Olympic Association secretariat informed this correspondent.
While many feel that the Athletics Federation is targeting Butt over jealousy or personal vendetta, and the ban is an indirect way to achieve it, the fact remains that this is the second time that Butt has tried to abuse his powers within the Athletics Federation’s system.
Last time he was banned around 2011-2012 for the same activity of trying to extend his powers and influence within the organisation.
Butt was only brought back for the then Athletics Federation chief Akram Sahi, on a pardon, although many within the athletics community and the executive body believed it was a rash decision, since Butt is a habitual offender and has shown streaks of opportunism.
It is also a matter that Butt would refuse to comment on. When the Express Tribune tried to get his side of the story, he was contacted several times over texts, WhatsApp, and calls last week, and when he did reply, it turned out to be a lie.
“Legal proceedings are going on; I shouldn’t comment, there is a gag order,” he said.
However, when The Express Tribune inquired who issued him the gag order, he never answered; the Pakistan Olympic Association knew what he was talking about. The Pakistan Sports Board, which he credits as the primary support to him and Arshad, was surprised by the revelation and was curious about where the gag order came from, and the Athletics Federation was amused at the comment made by Butt, as the matter had not gone into a legal court.
The ban had caused a sensational buzz in the capital, and the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry official, who Butt is rumoured to be close to, ended up telling the media that the government has ordered an inquiry over the matter, and has directed their primary arm that deals with sports, the Pakistan Sports Board, to conduct it.
PSB never received government orders for an inquiry
But by Saturday, October 18, the PSB Director General Muhammad Yasir Pirzada had officially told The Express Tribune through their spokesperson that no notification had come to him yet: “The PSB has not received any order yet from the government to conduct an inquiry into the Athletics Federation of Pakistan’s lifetime ban on Olympian Arshad Nadeem’s coach Salman Butt.”
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