Boxer Fatima Zahra to lead Pakistan contingent at 2026 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony
The 22-year-old is the solitary medallist for the country and she wrote a new chapter for Pakistan boxing with her achievement
Pakistan’s history-making boxer Fatima Zahra will be the flag-bearer at the 2026 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony on August 2.
The 22-year-old is the solitary medal winner for Pakistan out of 21 fielded by the country in Glasgow.
Fatima became the first woman from Pakistan to bag a Commonwealth Games medal in boxing for Pakistan; she also ended the 12-year boxing medal drought for the country in the process.
The Sargodha-based athlete took a bronze medal in the 60kg women’s boxing event.
“It is a great moment of pride for the boxing squad,” Pakistan Boxing Federation Secretary, who was also managing the team and mentoring them along with coach Nisar Khan in Glasgow, told Lost on the Desk from Glasgow, just hours before the opening ceremony.
“We will hold a reception ceremony for Fatima’s achievement once we return to Lahore to celebrate this success.”
“Fatima has been outstanding, and her achievement highlights her dedication. She has represented Pakistan exceptionally well on the international stage.”
Fatima was also the torch-bearer at the opening ceremony.
“It is such a moment of pride for me that Fatima is the flag-bearer at the closing ceremony because she deserves to lead the contingent,” coach Nisar told Lost on the Desk before getting ready for the closing ceremony.
“Of course I am ecstatic that our boxers have done so well, and Fatima bagged the medal, and she remained the only athlete to do so.
“It is a moment of immense pride for me. This is the second time that Fatima has won an international medal with me.
“Last time we competed, she bagged a bronze medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games, where she also made history by becoming the first Pakistani boxer and first Pakistani woman to be on the podium.”
Nisar, and international medallist for Pakistan himself in his heyday, is very proud of all seven of his boxers, and said that he was humbled by the love his team received at the Games.
Love from Indian boxing camp
“Allah granted us success and honoured us with the wins and good performances. I was so happy to see that other teams were happy for us.
“Like, even Indian boxers and coaches complimented us on our team. They were happy to see our progress,” revealed Nisar.
While Pakistan’s main medal hope, Olympic record-maker javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, failed to defend his title and bowed out in the final of the event on July 31, where he finished in ninth place.
He was eliminated from the medal race after the first three rounds of attempts in the final.
He managed to throw his season best of 77.41m.
Another veteran at the medals, judoka Shah Hussain Shah also lost in his opening fight against Canada’s John Messe A Bessong on ippon 100s2, despite putting up a good show on the last day of the Games. He returned to the international game after four years.
He last played at the 2022 Birmingham Games, where he bagged a bronze medal in the -90kg event.
Pakistan were also unable to field weightlifters due to the International Weightlifting Federation’s sanction on the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation, who are being rightfully punished for a systemic doping problem.
Pakistan’s Nooh Dastgir Butt missed out on the opportunity to defend his title at the+109kg weightlifting event because of this controversy, despite being an honest, hard-working, and clean athlete,
Pakistan was at a disadvantage due to the scaled-back Games, where wrestling was not included in the program, a sport at which Pakistan excels.
Pakistan also fielded athletes in swimming, gymnastics, lawn bowls, and athletics, but all of them failed to produce a medal-winning result.