Afghanistan Taliban crisis: ‘Please let me go to the Paralympics,’ pleads Afghan’s first female para athlete Zakia Khudadadi stranded in Kabul

Other than Zakia, discus thrower Hossain Rasouli is in a two-person Afghanistan contingent but even he won’t be able to take part in the Tokyo Paralympics.

Taliban seizure has affected Afghanistan, not just socially, but it is also a massive setback to the sporting ambitions of the nation and its biggest example is taekwondo fighter Zakia Khudadadi, who would have been the first woman to represent Afghanistan at the Tokyo Paralympic Games this month, but her dream has been shattered amid the country’s turmoil. Other than Zakia, discus thrower Hossain Rasouli is in a two-person Afghanistan contingent but even he won’t be able to take part in the marquee event. The Afghanistan Paralympic Committee’s London-based Chef de Mission Arian Sadiqi told Reuters on Monday that the country’s two athletes would not be able to attend the Games that commence on Aug. 24.