Dylan Bettencourt
Zakia Khudadadi was set to become the first female from Afghanistan to compete in the Paralympics but that is no longer a reality, as the country descends into turmoil.
With the Taliban seizing control in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, thousands of residents fled to the national airport in the hopes they could leave the city.
Khudadadi and her fellow athlete, Hossain Rasouli, were attempting to leave the city for a different reason, to compete in this year’s Paralympic games in Tokyo.
But their hopes of competing have been dashed, as they could not catch their scheduled flight to Japan.
The nation’s chef de mission for the games, Arian Sadiqi said the two-person team were set to arrive in Tokyo on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately due to the current upheaval going on in Afghanistan the team could not leave Kabul in time,” he told Reuters.
Sadiqi said both athletes had been very excited to compete in Tokyo and had been working hard to ensure they were well-prepared for the games.
“She would have been the first female Afghan taekwondo player to take part in the games. This was history in the making. She was very passionate about competing. Zakia would have been a great role model for women in the country,” the Afghan chef de mission said.
He said under Taliban control women will not be able to compete in any sporting events.
When the Taliban was last in power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, women across the country faced enormous restrictions to their rights and freedoms.
They could not compete in sports, very few had the opportunity to receive an education, and other professional freedoms were vastly restricted.
Since the Taliban retook power this week, years worth of progress is at risk of vanishing.
“Previously during the Taliban era people couldn’t compete, couldn’t participate, especially female athletes. For me, it’s heartbreaking,” said Sadiqi.
Image source: @Paralympics
