Athletics in Pakistan

Athletics in Pakistan
Athletics in Pakistan
Governing body	Athletics Federation of Pakistan
International competitions
	Olympic Games x1; Paralympic Games x1 x1 x2; World Championships x1 ; Asian Games x14 x13 x13; Commonwealth Games x3 x3 x6

Last updated January 04, 2025

Athletics in Pakistan is overseen by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) which organizes athletic tournaments in Pakistan. Athletics in Pakistan encompasses a diverse range of competitive sporting events, including running, jumping, throwing, and walking disciplines. The country's athletics landscape is dominated by four primary categories: track and field, road running, cross country running, and racewalking.

History

Many Pakistani athletes have excelled in various global events including the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships.^[1]

The 1950s and 1960s are often regarded as the Golden Age of Pakistani athletics, with Abdul Khaliq, Ghulam Raziq, Mubarak Shah, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Nawaz, Jalal Khan, Allah Ditta and Muhammad Ramzan Ali achieving various milestones.^[1] In the early decades, Pakistanis held many Asian records including the Asian 100 m and 200 m record held by Abdul Khaliq.^[1]

Other notable athletes include Muhammad Younis, Muhammad Siddique, Mirza Khan, Ghulam Abbas, Nadir Khan, Aqarab Abbas, Muhammad Sharif Butt, Khwaja Muhammad Aslam, Abdul Malik, Mohsin Ali, Mehboob Ali, Banarus Muhammad Khan, Abdul Rashid, Zafar Iqbal, Nusrat Iqbal Sahi, Norman Brinkworth, Muhammad Youssef, Allah Ditta, Muhammad Ayub and Liaquat Ali who got prominence at either Asian or International levels, winning gold medals for Pakistan.^[2] Female athletes have also represented Pakistan at the international level, including Shabana Akhtar, who was the first Pakistani female athlete to participate at the Olympics. Among Pakistan's notable women athletes are Naseem Hameed, Najma Parveen, Sadaf Siddiqui, Rabia Ashiq, Shazia Hidayat, Faiqa Riaz and Sumaira Zahoor.

Pakistan has hosted several major international athletics events including the 1989 and 2004 South Asian Games. International events such as the Lahore Marathon also take place in the country.

In recent times, Arshad Nadeem is the reigning Olympic champion in Men's javelin throw with an Asian and Olympic record throw of 92.97 metres (305.0 ft) at the 2024 Summer Olympics.^[3] He became the first Pakistani to qualify for the finals of any track and field event at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships.

In 2023, he became the first Pakistani athlete to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships, a silver. In 2022, he also created a Commonwealth Games record with a throw of 90.18 m and became the first ever athlete from South Asia to breach the 90m mark.^[4]

National Championship

National Athletics Championships is held annually by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan.^[5]

Major international medallists

Competition	Athlete	Event	Year
Olympic Games	Arshad Nadeem	Javelin throw	2024
Paralympic Games	Haider Ali	Discus Throw - F37	2024
		Discus Throw - F37	2020
		Long Jump - T37	2016
		Long Jump - F37/38	2008
World Championships	Arshad Nadeem	Javelin throw	2023
Commonwealth Games
	Arshad Nadeem	Javelin throw	2022
	Muhammad Nawaz	Javelin throw	1966
	Muhammad Iqbal	Hammer throw	1966
	Ghulam Raziq	120 yards hurdles	1966
	Ghulam Raziq	120 yards hurdles	1962
	Jalal Khan	Javelin throw	1958
	Muhammad Iqbal	Hammer throw	1958
	Muhammad Ramzan Ali	Long jump	1958
	Ghulam Raziq	120 yards hurdles	1958
	Muhammad Iqbal	Hammer throw	1954
	Muhammad Nawaz	Javelin throw	1954
	Jalal Khan	Javelin throw	1954

Notable performance at Summer Olympics

Athlete(s)	Event	Games	Result
Arshad Nadeem	Men's Javelin Throw	2024 Paris	1st place (92.97m) OR
Arshad Nadeem	Men's Javelin Throw	2020 Tokyo	Final (5th place - 84.62m)
Bashir Ahmed, Mohammad Sadaqat, Mohammad Afzal, Muhammad Fayyaz	Men's 4 × 400 metres relay	1988 Seoul	Semi-Final
Muhammad Iqbal	Men's hammer throw	1960 Rome	12th place in Final (61.79m)
Abdul Malik, Muhammad Ramzan Ali, Ghulam Raziq, Abdul Khaliq	Men's 4 x 100 metres relay	1960 Rome	Semi-Final
Ghulam Raziq	Men's 110 metres hurdles	1960 Rome	4th in Semi-Final heat
Abdul Aziz, Muhammad Sharif Butt, Abdul Khaliq, Ghulam Raziq	Men's 4 x 100 metres relay	1956 Melbourne	Semi-Final
Ghulam Raziq	Men's 110 metres hurdles	1956 Melbourne	Semi-Final
Abdul Khaliq	Men's 200 metres	1956 Melbourne	4th in Semi-Final heat – Stands in top seven athletes
Abdul Khaliq	Men's 100 metres	1956 Melbourne	4th in Semi-Final heat
Muhammad Iqbal	Men's hammer throw	1956 Melbourne	11th place in Final (56.97m)
Muhammad Aslam, Abdul Aziz, Muhammad Shariff Butt, Muhammad Fazil	Men's 4 x 100 metres relay	1952 Helsinki	Semi-Final

Total medals won by Pakistani athletes in major tournaments

Competition	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Olympics	1	0	0	1
Paralympics	1	1	2	4
World Championships	0	1	0	1
Commonwealth Games	3	3	6	12
Asian Games	14	13	13	40
Asian Championships	2	3	3	8
Asian Indoor Championships	0	1	1	2
Asian Cross Country Championships	0	1	1	2
Total	21	23	26	70

Related Research Articles

Sport in Pakistan is a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan. Football has also gained popularity in recent years, and is the second most popular sport in the country. Field hockey is the national sport, and was popular for several decades, with some of Pakistan's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport, along with squash. Polo and traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played.

Pakistan competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. The men's hockey team won a silver medal.

Pakistan competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 38 competitors, all men, took part in 25 events in 7 sports.

Pakistan competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. 55 competitors, all men, took part in 43 events in 8 sports. They won their first medal at this level, winning the silver in the men's field hockey competition.

The Pakistan Olympic Association was created in 1948, while the Pakistan Sports Board was established in 1962.

Subedar Abdul Khaliq, also known by his nickname Parinda-e-Asia پرندہ ایشیاء (Urdu for The Flying Bird of Asia), was a Pakistani sprinter and military officer from the 8th Medium Artillery Regiment. He won 36 international gold medals, 15 international silver medals, and 12 international bronze medals while representing Pakistan.

Pakistan competed at the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea between 19 September and 5 October 2014. It sent 182 athletes to compete in 23 sports. It was defending its title in hockey (men's), squash and cricket (women's) but successfully managed to defend the women's cricket title only.

Jalal Khan was a Pakistani javelin thrower. Khan represented Pakistan at the 1952 Summer Olympics and 1956 Summer Olympics.

Arshad Nadeem is a Pakistani javelin thrower. He is the reigning Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion and the current silver medalist in the World Athletics Championship. His 92.97 metres (305.0 ft) throw at the 2024 Summer Olympics is an Olympic and Asian record and also the sixth longest throw in the history of javelin throw, when considering only the best throw from each athlete.

Grade-22 is the highest attainable rank for a Civil Servant in Pakistan. Grade 22 is equal to a 4-star rank of the Pakistan Armed Forces. With over five hundred thousand civil servants and bureaucrats in Pakistan, only a few dozen officers serve in BPS-22 grade at a given time. Hence, not even 1% of the country's civil servants and/or bureaucrats make it to the highest rank. Officers serving in BPS-22 grade are largely considered to be the most influential individuals in the country.

The men's javelin throw event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 4 and 7 August 2021 at the Japan National Stadium. Approximately 35 athletes competed; the exact number depended on how many nations use universality places to enter athletes in addition to the 32 qualifying through distance or ranking.

Pakistan competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was Pakistan's eighteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics.

Pakistan competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham, England from 28 July to 8 August 2022. It was Pakistan's 14th appearance at the Commonwealth Games.

Pakistan participated in the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games held in Konya, Turkey from 9 to 18 August 2022.

Pakistan competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. It was the nation's nineteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics.

The men's javelin throw at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on 25 and 27 August 2023.

References

1 2 3 "The Golden Age of Pakistani Athletics: The 50s and the 60s | Sports | thenews.com.pk". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
↑ Zuberi, Anwar (2006-11-16). "Pakistan's golden past in athletics: Asian Games in perspective". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
↑ Topping, Alexandra (2024-08-08). "Arshad Nadeem throws his way into history for Pakistan with javelin gold". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-08-09.
↑ Desk, The Bridge (2022-08-08). "Watch: Arshad Nadeem becomes first South Asian to breach 90m mark". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
↑ "AFP to conduct two national c'ships in Sept, Oct: Sahi". 15 July 2021.

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[:9-1] 1 2 3 "The Golden Age of Pakistani Athletics: The 50s and the 60s | Sports | thenews.com.pk". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-08-09.

[2] Zuberi, Anwar (2006-11-16). "Pakistan's golden past in athletics: Asian Games in perspective". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-08-09.

[3] Topping, Alexandra (2024-08-08). "Arshad Nadeem throws his way into history for Pakistan with javelin gold". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-08-09.

[90m_mark3-4] Desk, The Bridge (2022-08-08). "Watch: Arshad Nadeem becomes first South Asian to breach 90m mark". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)

[5] "AFP to conduct two national c'ships in Sept, Oct: Sahi". 15 July 2021.

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