Flag of Afghanistan to be displayed at Tokyo Paralympic opening ceremony as a “sign of solidarity”

Afghanistan’s two athletes may have been prevented from traveling to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo due to unrest in their home country, but their flag will be added to the Parade of Nations as a gesture of peace and support, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) revealed on Monday.

“We will include the Afghanistan flag in the ceremony in a sign of solidarity”, said IPC President Andrew Parsons. “It is important to highlight that as it is a message of solidarity and peace that we send to the world. We would like to have them here, unfortunately it is not possible, but they will be here in spirit.”

He further disclosed that a representative from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees would carry the flag in the stadium on the country’s behalf. The flag will be the version used by the internationally recognized Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, whose government is now in exile after being militarily overthrown by the Taliban, an Islamic extremist group with their own separate banner.

As a result of turmoil ensuing from the Taliban’s takeover, international airports in Afghanistan were forced to close on August 15th, leaving few practical options for foreign travel. The country’s two Paralympic athletes, taekwondo practitioners Hossain Rasouli and Zakia Khudadadi, have thus been unable to fly to Tokyo to participate in their competitions.

Khudadadi, who would have been the first female Afghan to compete at the Paralympics, had made a video on August 18th obtained by Reuters in which she pleaded for help to get to the Games despite what had occurred.

“My family is based in Herāt City, which has been entirely captured by the Taliban. Currently I reside with extended family members in Kabul, who don’t have enough food to feed their own children... As a representative of Afghan women, I ask you to help me. My intention is to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games”, she said in her video.

However, while Parsons expressed sympathy for Khudadadi’s situation, he maintained that attempting to bring her and Rasouli to the Games wouldn’t be safe for the two athletes.

“We are assessing the situation and so far we believe that at the moment, we don’t have a way to bring the Afghani athletes to Tokyo in a safe way for them, in a way that will preserve their safety”, Parsons said at an August 19th press conference.

“We believe it is now time to focus on them as human beings and we want to guarantee that they are safe. It will put them at a higher risk if we try to bring them to compete in Tokyo.”

Despite not sending a squad of its own, Afghanistan will nonetheless have a sporting presence in Tokyo – as swimmer Abbas Karimi, who fled the country in 2013 as a teenager, is competing as part of the newly formed Refugee Paralympic Team. Karimi is additionally set to be one of the team’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony.

In total, the Tokyo Paralympics will feature 162 countries, two fewer than the record high number seen at the 2012 Games in London. Twenty-one IPC member nations including Afghanistan will be absent for various reasons; the most common of which are their national federations being suspended, COVID-19 travel issues and a lack of government support for athletes.

KEEP READING: