3 Christian Punjabi sisters recently won 12 gold medals (4 each) at the Asia Pacific women’s power lifting tournament in South Africa
Islamabad
Pakistan’s social media has raised questions about the double standards of rulers who paid Rs.300 million to Arshad Nadeem for winning a Gold Medal but neglected three Christian girls who won 12 Gold Medals recently.
Arshad Nadeem, recently won the gold medal breaking the Olympic record with a 92.97m throw in the men’s javelin final at Paris 2024, and has been showered with cash awards worth over Rs.300 million by the Federal, Punjab and Sindh governments, however three Christian girls, also hailing from Punjab, who won 12 gold medals (4 each) at the Asia Pacific women’s power lifting tournament in South Africa, have been neglected, which shows the double standards of the rulers.
Paying so much money to Arshad Nadeem has been questioned by general public and the social media of Pakistan is full of criticism on such discrimination.
One Foqia Khan wrote on August 17, 2024 that “Paying so much money to Arshad Nadeem seems artificial. It is not as if they are giving him money from their own pockets. So far he has got at least 30 crores (300 Million), 15 crores from Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, 10 crores from Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz and 5 crores from Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah, and there might be some other grants as well.”
She further writes, “Monetizing the Olympic win is a bad idea. The Olympic win must be celebrated with medals and other forms of recognition but it should not be excessively monetized. This big amount of money could be better spent on the health and education of the poor. Wrong usage of the public money to act like kings and queens!”
Christian Girls Win 12 Gold Medals
Three Pakistani Christian sisters made history by winning 12 gold medals in a powerlifting championship in South Africa in July, garnering laurels for their community and nation, but they were utterly neglected by the rulers.
Weightlifters Sybil Sohail, Veronika Sohail and Twinkle Sohail competed in the 52 kg, 57 kg and 84 kg categories respectively, excelling in squat, bench press, deadlift, and overall weight. The siblings bagged four gold medals each, showcasing their prowess and elevating Pakistan’s stature in international weightlifting.
According to Twinkle Sohail, the sisters, whose journey to South Africa was made possible through the support of the Punjab Sports Board, had been preparing for the championship in South Africa for a year.
“This was an important event for us because powerlifters from 20-25 countries from three continents were participating in it,” she told Christian Daily International.
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Twinkle Sohail, 21, is studying BS Sports Sciences at the University of Lahore. In 2015, she became the first Pakistani female powerlifter to win four gold medals in the 47 kg category of Junior (Under-21) at the Asian Bench-Press Championship (ABP) held in Oman.
Sybil Sohail followed her sister’s footsteps and made headlines after winning gold for squat, bench press, deadlift, and total weight at the International Oceania Pacific Powerlifting Championship held in Singapore in 2017. She graduated with a degree in BS Sports Sciences and Physical Education from Punjab University and is currently pursuing a PhD.
Veronica Sohail, studying at St. Anthony’s College, Lahore won gold medal in the women’s Under-17, 47 kg category at the Asian Pacific Classic and Equipped Powerlifting & Bench Press Championships 2018, held in Dubai.
Last but not the least, their fourth sister Mariyum Sohail is a national champion in weightlifting and powerlifting. She won a bronze medal in ABP 2018.
The Sohail sisters also known as ‘Power Girls’ received international recognition for creating a unique record in 2018, at the ABP Championship held in Dubai.
The Asian Powerlifting Federation (APF) in a statement at that time said, “In the APF powerlifting history, we never had four sisters competing at any powerlifting event and all four winning medals.”
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