Fayyaz looks forward to head as coach in Riyadh Islamic Solidarity Games 2025

RIYADH: National javelin coach Fayyaz Bukhari, who has been credited with grooming Pakistan’s top throwers including 2024 Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem and rising star Yasir Sultan, has requested the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to consider his inclusion as coach for the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025, scheduled to take place in Riyadh from November 7 to 21.

In his letter addressed to PSB Director General Yasir Pirzada, Bukhari expressed disappointment over his exclusion as head coach and urged the board to recognize his longstanding contributions to Pakistan’s athletics success.

Calling for his nomination once again, Bukhari emphasized the importance of having an athlete’s personal coach present during major international events. Currently supervising Asian bronze medalist Yasir Sultan, he said his greatest wish is to represent Pakistan’s team at the upcoming Islamic Games.

“With the right preparation and support, both Arshad and Yasir are strong contenders for medals at the Islamic Games, and Yasir is even capable of achieving the Olympic qualification mark,” Bukhari stated.

Bukhari highlighted that he has been coaching Pakistan’s leading javelin athletes under both the PSB and the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) and was officially appointed to train Yasir Sultan during the recent training camp for the Islamic Games. Under his guidance, Yasir won a silver medal at the 2024 Asian Throwing Championship and gold at the 2024 National Athletics Championship in Multan.

Despite these achievements, Bukhari lamented his exclusion from the national contingent, terming it “discouraging and unfair.”

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He also revealed that although officially appointed to train Yasir for the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025, he was paid only Rs30,000 as a total allowance, while food and accommodation expenses came from his own pocket.

Despite the challenges, Bukhari appealed to the national sports board to consider offering him a long-term coaching contract, saying it would ensure stability and sustained progress in the training of Pakistan’s elite javelin athletes.