Afghan Athletes Make it to the Paralympic Games
September 3, 2021
On 28 August, Afghan athletes, Zakia Khudadadi (Taekwondo) and Hossain Rasouli (Athletics) successfully made it to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after an extraordinary evacuation out of Kabul via Paris, supported by several individuals, human rights activists, organisations and governments.
Shortly after the Taliban overran and took control of the country, Khudadadi released a video message pleading for help. The 23-year-old, who has broken stereotypes as a female athlete in Afghanistan, desparately wanted to get to Tokyo where she became only the second woman ever to represent the nation at the Paralympics, behind Mareena Karim who competed at Athens 2004.
"I am currently imprisoned inside the house...I request from you all, that I am an Afghan woman. And as a representative of Afghan women, I ask you to help me," she stated in the video translated by Reuters. "My intention is to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Please hold my hand and help me."
This will also be the first Games for Rasouli, 24, whose left hand was amputated following a mine explosion. In early August, he had told the IPC, “it is a dream to participate at the Tokyo Games, and I want to win a medal for the country."
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) initially announced that the team would not compete in Tokyo due to the crisis, with their flag symbolically carried as a sign of “solidarity and peace” during the opening ceremony. However, in secret, a plan to assist them was underway - though neither the IPC nor the Tokyo organizing committee claim direct involvement.
"Twelve days ago we were informed that the Afghan Paralympic Team could not travel to Tokyo, a move that broke the hearts of all involved in the Paralympic Movement and left both athletes devastated," Andrew Parsons, International Paralympic Committee president, said in a statement. "That announcement kickstarted a major global operation that led to their safe evacuation from Afghanistan, their recuperation by France, and now their safe arrival in Tokyo."
“Human life is the most important thing here. Having the athletes here isn’t about getting media coverage. It’s about these athletes fulfilling their dream of being able to attend the Paralympic Games,” said IPC spokesman Craig Spence.
Khudadadi and Rasouli join Abbas Karimi, a Refugee Paralympic Team swimmer, who fled Kabul eight years ago and now lives and trains in the United States. Through their participation in the Games and performances on the field-of-play, the athletes are calling for hope, peace and solidarity for the people of Afghanistan and the world.