Waqar Zaka was one of many fans who greeted Pakistan's javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem on his return from Tokyo Olympics in Lahore on Thursday. However, the TV host made it more special when he gifted Nadeem Rs 1m and streamed the event live on his Facebook.

Zaka said the gift was a token of his appreciation for Nadeem's efforts.

He added that he had also said on a TV show that he would share a portion of his earnings from social media with Nadeem.

Nadeem rose to prominence after performing well in the Olympics despite not having any support from the concerned authorities. He reached the final last Saturday but lost to India's Neeraj Chopra. However, Nadeem won many Pakistanis hearts but also alerted people of the lack of training facilities available to atheletes across Pakistan.

For a few days after his performance on Saturday, social media users demanded the resignation of Arif Hasan who heads the Pakistan Olympic Association, laying the blame of Pakistan's poor performance at the Olympics for the past few decades on his shoulders.

However, Nadeem received a hero's welcome in Lahore and his hometown of Mian Channu where he was showered with rose petals and slogans of Pakistan Zindabad.

Earlier, the Punjab government announced Rs 1 million cash prizes each for Nadeem, weightlifter Talha Talib and mountaineer Shehroz Kashif for their performances.

Punjab Sports Minister Rai Taimur Khan Bhatti said Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar will gift the prizes to the athletes soon.