Claim: A picture shows Arshad Nadeem’s wife wearing a sleeveless dress after his victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fact: The claim is false as the woman in the picture is not Nadeem’s wife but a Lahore-based journalist, Ambreen Fatima. The false claim can spread misogyny and be harmful for the safety of women.
On 5 September 2024, a Facebook page Hamara Pakistan posted a video (archive) which has now been deleted, apparently including images of Arshad Nadeem’s wife wearing a sleeveless outfit with the caption,
دولت آتے ہی گولڈ میڈلسٹ ارشد ندیم کی بیوی کا لباس کم پڑ گیا
Translation [As the wealth came, gold medalist Arshad Nadeem’s wife’s dress shortened].
Arshad Nadeem
Pakistani javelin thrower, Arshad Nadeem made history at the 2024 Olympics in Paris becoming Pakistan’s first individual Olympic champion with a gold medal in the men’s javelin throw. He set a new Olympic record with a throw of 92.97m, beating champion Neeraj Chopra by 3.52m. His final throw of 91.79m secured Pakistan’s first-ever medal in athletics.
In celebration of Nadeem’s achievement, political and sports figures, and various organisations and institutions announced monetary rewards to honour his victory and he has been appearing in various interviews since then. Following these announcements, Soch Fact Check debunked numerous claims linked to the Olympic star spreading altered content and misinformation.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check investigated the claim and a keyword search on Google led to a YouTube interview published on 15 August by ARY News. The interview was conducted by anchor Waseem Badami on his show ‘11th hour’. In the start, Nadeem can be seen sitting alone talking about his victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics and his journey. At the 24 minute mark, the host introduces Nadeem’s wife Rashida, and the woman in this video is different from the one in the viral post.
Suno News HD also uploaded a clip of Nadeem’s wife from an event that happened on 15 August. It features the same woman from ARY News and not the one in the viral claim.
Further investigation revealed that the woman in the viral post is Ambreen Fatima – a journalist based in Lahore. Fatima also debunked the claim in an X post published on 4 September, where she implies that she has submitted an application to the FIA’s cybercrime wing against the Facebook page.
Ambreen Fatima also posted a reel, which includes pictures of her with the Olympic star, on her Instagram account on 30 August. The caption of the post when translated into English, reads, “Today in the honour of Arshad Nadeem, Abrar Ul Haq organised a function at his home in which he gave Nadeem Rs 15 lakh as a congratulatory gift. Israr ul Haq was also present on this occasion”. The reel includes images of the journalist with Nadeem along with politician and singer Abrar Ul Haq.
Different media outlets also reported on the event. Thus, the investigation clearly shows that the woman is not Nadeem’s wife and the post was used to spread misinformation and disinformation of a misogynistic nature.
Virality
The false post was shared here and here on Facebook.
Conclusion: Viral posts about Arshad Nadeem’s wife are false. The woman pictured is a journalist based in Lahore and not related to the Olympic winner.
Background image in cover photo: Dawn News
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