x
x
x
x

Tue, August 17, 2021

Afghanistan athletes unable to attend Paralympics due to unrest

Afghanistan athletes unable to attend Paralympics due to unrest

Afghanistan’s two Paralympic athletes will not be competing at the Tokyo Games due to the unrest in the country.

Taekwondo competitor Zakia Khudadadi and track athlete Hossain Rasouli were due to arrive in Tokyo for the Games on Tuesday with Khudadadi set to become the first female athlete to represent Afghanistan at the Paralympics.

The Afghanistan Paralympic Committee's chef de mission Arian Sadiqi told BBC Sport “Unfortunately the Taliban took over Kabul and everything went haywire. To be honest with you it is very hard. My heart is just shaking, I couldn't sleep last night. The whole situation became very chaotic very rapidly, so we had no choice but to opt out from the Games because there were no commercial flights in or out of Afghanistan except the military bases I believe.”

On Khudadadi being Afghanistan’s first female Paralympian Sadiqi said “It's devastating. For me this was history in the making. We were going to make history. We wanted to use her as a role model for the rest of the female athletes, especially para-athletes, for the para movement in Afghanistan, to say if she is able to do it, you can do it as well, to encourage more participants. Unfortunately that doesn't happen and now we are 50 years, 20 years going back to square one, which is not good news at all for Paralympians. If you are a Paralympian and female, you have so many obstacles to overcome.”

Sadiqi said that the team had attempted to secure flights, but prices were rising and there was limited availability as many tried to flee the country once the Taliban took control of major cities. Sadiqi concluded with “It's not going to be good news because it took 20 years for females to come out of their shells, to be empowered, to go to schools, universities, to go to work and be involved in physical activities and sport. Now I can only imagine their world has just been shattered once again. There is no hope from what I can see.”

Share

Recent News Articles

Tue, February 18, 2025

Former American football players sue Netflix for $30 million

Six former American football players are suing Netflix, claiming that the company exploited their talents for entertainment purposes and negatively impacted their careers. The former players who featured in the acclaimed documentary series Last Chance U, have filed a $30 million lawsuit

Read More

Tue, February 18, 2025

Skaters campaign for same-sex pairs

Figure skating icons Gabriella Papadakis and Madison Hubbell are advocating for same-sex duos in official competitions, and put on a moving performance at the Art on Ice Gala in Switzerland as part of their activism

Read More

Wed, February 12, 2025

World Athletics launches new stakeholder consultation on updated female eligibility guidelines

World Athletics’ female eligibility guidelines are being updated to “reflect the latest developments in science, sport and law,” and widespread consultation will take place with key stakeholders

Read More