Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 30, 2025: Pakistan’s Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem won the Global Breakthrough Athlete award at the World Sports Summit in Dubai on Monday, December 29.
Nadeem was honoured for his record-breaking performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics where he threw 92.97 metres to win gold and set a new Olympic and world record. The victory marked Pakistan’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in javelin throw.
Speaking after the ceremony, Nadeem said the award was a proud moment for him and for Pakistan, adding that the international recognition would help inspire young athletes and bring greater attention to the sport in the country.
Nadeem said that his next goal is to win golds for Pakistan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, adding that he had got renewed confidence and enthusiasm by the Dubai government honouring him with the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Sports Award.
The prestigious award was presented to Nadeem by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, son of the ruler of Dubai.
The two-day World Sports Summit in Dubai featured over 1,500 sports leaders, policy makers and athletes who participated in discussions related to the future of the industry under the theme ‘Uniting the World Through Sport’.
Nadeem also won the gold medal in javelin at the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.