Tokyo Paralympics Games dream over for Afghan athletes trapped in Kabul

The Afghanistan Paralympic Committee’s London-based chief said the country’s two athletes would not be able to attend the Games that begin on August 24

Taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi would have been the first woman to represent Afghanistan at a Paralympic Games

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Afghan Olympic athlete Rohullah Nikpai, centre, with a medal around his neck, arrives in Afghanistan following the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Photo: AP

Published: 2:13am, 17 Aug 2021Updated: 2:13am, 17 Aug 2021

Zakia Khudadadi would have been the first woman to represent Afghanistan at a Paralympic Games when they start in Tokyo this month, but her dream has been shattered amid the country’s turmoil.

The Afghanistan Paralympic Committee’s London-based Chef de Mission Arian Sadiqi said on Monday that the country’s two athletes would not be able to attend the Games that commence on August 24.

“Unfortunately due to the current upheaval going on in Afghanistan the team could not leave Kabul in time,” he said.

A countdown clock in front of JR Tokyo Station on Monday shows seven days before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics. Photo: Kyodo

US forces have taken over air traffic control at Kabul airport, where five died people on Monday in chaotic scenes with reports of firing in the air and a stampede.

Taliban insurgents have overrun major cities and now control most of Afghanistan. The hardline Islamist movement was ousted in 2001, but has made sweeping military gains in recent months as foreign forces, led by the United States, withdrew.