Pakistani javelin star Arshad Nadeem declined to speak with a media crew from NNIS Sports after learning they were from an Indian outlet during the mixed zone at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
The institute posted a video of the encounter, prompting sports journalists Arup Ghosh and Sundeep Misra to discuss the moment and the broader question of how sporting rivalries between the two countries can spill beyond the field of play.
Ghosh described what happened when the crew approached Nadeem. “Since you mentioned India and Pakistan, when our reporter approached the Pakistani javelin superstar Arshad Nadeem there, first, he didn’t realize. They spoke in Hindi saying, ‘We want to talk to you.’ He replied, ‘I’m going to eat biryani and come back.’ So, when he returned after eating biryani, the very first question he asked our reporter was, ‘Where are you from?’ As soon as he said, ‘I am from India,’ he turned around and walked away. I thought it was bizarre.”
Misra offered context on Nadeem’s past interactions with the media, pointing to a similar moment during the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
“For that, you have to really understand Arshad Nadeem, where he has come from, and how he has become such a force in the world,” he said. “I wouldn’t say this is the first time.”
He recalled a specific incident from Budapest. “During the Budapest World Championships, it took a while, you know. He went back to the pitch, asked his coach, the coach looked back at me, and we were like 40 to 50 meters away. His coach probably told him something about whether to speak or not. Then he came halfway, then he went back again.”
Misra noted he wasn’t alone at the time. “At that time, I wasn’t alone; Jonathan from Sportstar was there, Raja Raman was there, and we were all waiting for Neeraj Chopra and Arshad because they were training at the same time.”
He went on to describe Nadeem’s general approach to the media. “But Arshad is slightly reluctant to talk. There are times when he has spoken to the media, but things are bad politically, so Nadeem kind of gets extra cautious. He wonders, ‘Who am I talking to? Why am I talking? What kind of questions will be asked?’ So he gets a bit nervous, hesitant. Otherwise, believe me, he is, and I think Neeraj would vouch for this, a very decent man, very humble. Most of these things happen because of how we are placed politically sometimes.”
Nadeem is in Nagoya as the biggest individual medal hope for Pakistan at the 20th Asian Games, with the men’s javelin final scheduled for September 28.
He is expected to renew his rivalry with Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who beat him to gold at last week’s World Athletics Ultimate Championship, where Nadeem finished fifth with a throw of 81.49 metres.
