{"id":26599,"date":"2026-08-10T08:58:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T08:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=26599"},"modified":"2026-08-10T08:58:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T08:58:00","slug":"nooh-laments-pakistan-weightlifting-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=26599","title":{"rendered":"Nooh laments Pakistan weightlifting crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>Birmingham gold medallist says federation\u2019s IWF ban has derailed his career and cost Pakistan medals<\/p>\n<p>Nooh Dastgir Butt in action at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where he won the gold medal. Photos provided by Nooh\u2019s father.   <\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n                                                                                            <strong class=\"location-names\"><br \/>\n                                        KARACHI: <\/p>\n<p>        <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pakistan\u2019s seasoned weightlifter and 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nooh Dastgir Butt says the country\u2019s weightlifting crisis has not only derailed his career but also deprived several leading lifters of major international opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am doing preparation, but how can you do it with a big heart when there is no participation in sight in any major event?\u201d Nooh told The Express Tribune in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am confronting the bad time of my career. When I settled my affairs with the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF), it was banned by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF),\u201d he said.<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/img-04221786353017-1\/img-04221786353017-1.jpeg\" style=\"height:undefinedpx; width:undefinedpx\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nooh was invited to appear in trials for next month\u2019s Asian Games in Japan but chose not to attend, saying he had little faith that Pakistan would eventually send a team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I had been invited for the trials, but I did not go as I knew that nothing would happen and the team would not be sent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow can you focus on a target when you know that nothing will happen and you will not get an opportunity to feature in continental or other major events?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nooh also questioned Pakistan\u2019s failure to send weightlifters to the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, where he believes the country could have won medals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have heard that one weightlifter is being sent to the Asian Games. I am surprised. If they are trying to do so, then why did they not try to send weightlifters to the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, where we could have won medals?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHad they sent us to Glasgow, I was sure of winning gold, as the gold in my weight category came with 389kg, while I had lifted 405kg at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nooh said Talha Talib, his brother Hanzala Dastgir Butt and Haider Ali were also capable of winning medals, lamenting that Pakistan missed another opportunity for success.<\/p>\n<p>David Liti of New Zealand won gold in the restructured 109kg plus category in Glasgow with a combined lift of 389kg, edging India\u2019s Lovepreet Singh, who lifted 388kg. England\u2019s Andre Griffiths took bronze.<\/p>\n<p>At Birmingham in 2022, Nooh won gold with 405kg, while Liti took silver with 394kg and India\u2019s Gurdeep Singh claimed bronze with 390kg.<\/p>\n<p>After missing out on the Commonwealth Games and facing uncertainty over the Asian Games, Nooh has now set his sights on the South Asian Games, which Pakistan is scheduled to host early next year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow I want to do my best in the South Asian Games. As I will be competing on home soil, I want to pull off a stunning performance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding his bid for the 2028 Olympics, Nooh believes he can qualify if the weightlifting crisis is resolved urgently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am working hard, but there is nothing solid in sight. If you don\u2019t have a target, how can you go for full-fledged preparation? I am really unsettled and confused. Sometimes I think I have wasted my prime time, but I cannot leave this game as I have spent so many years here,\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n<p>The PWF is currently facing an IWF ban over doping-related violations. Several leading Pakistani weightlifters and federation officials, including former PWF President Hafiz Imran Butt and his son Irfan Butt, have been handed life bans.<\/p>\n<p>Hafiz Imran Butt\u2019s nephew Jibran Butt is handling the PWF as its new chief.<\/p>\n<p>The federation is also required to pay a substantial fine before the IWF ban can be lifted. A source familiar with the matter said the outstanding amount has reached around $30,000.<\/p>\n<p>Unless the dues are cleared, the IWF ban will remain in place, preventing Pakistan\u2019s weightlifters from competing in international events.<\/p>\n<p>According to well-placed sources familiar with PWF affairs, an Executive Committee meeting was held in Lahore a few days ago and was handled by officials who are themselves banned. The sources said the move was contrary to the IOC Charter and IWF regulations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tribune.com.pk\/story\/2623082\/nooh-laments-pakistan-weightlifting-crisis\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Birmingham gold medallist says federation\u2019s IWF ban has derailed his career and cost Pakistan medals Nooh Dastgir Butt in action at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where he won the gold medal. Photos provided by Nooh\u2019s father. KARACHI: Pakistan\u2019s seasoned weightlifter and 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nooh Dastgir Butt says the country\u2019s weightlifting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1121,"featured_media":26600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nooh laments Pakistan weightlifting crisis - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=26599\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nooh laments Pakistan weightlifting crisis - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Birmingham gold medallist says federation\u2019s IWF ban has derailed his career and cost Pakistan medals Nooh Dastgir Butt in action at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where he won the gold medal. 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