IPC says Afghanistan’s two Paralympic athletes have been evacuated to “a safe place”

Afghanistan’s two Paralympic athletes, who were prevented from traveling to the Games in Tokyo due to unrest in their country, have been safely evacuated overseas according to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli, both taekwondo competitors, made headlines a week ago when a military takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, an Islamic extremist group, left the two athletes stranded at home and unable to participate in the Paralympics. However, the IPC now says that the pair have managed to secure a passage out of the country.

“Efforts have been made to remove [the athletes] from Afghanistan, they are now in a safe place,” IPC spokesman Craig Spence said at a press conference on Wednesday.

While the para-taekwondo events at Tokyo 2020 aren’t scheduled to start until September 2nd, leaving a theoretical possibility for Khudadadi and Rasouli to participate in the Games, Spence gave no indication that this would happen. “Obviously they’ve been through a very traumatic process, they’re undergoing counselling and psychological help. We are being kept in the loop about their whereabouts and their well-being”, Spence told reporters.

Keeping the two athletes safe and helping them recover mentally are likely to be top priorities, as they had fled their home country fearing for their safety. The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has not only resulted in instability and conflict nationwide, but also put female athletes like Khudadadi at particularly high risk of being violently targeted, since the militant group believes women’s sports are contrary to Islamic law.

An August 18th video of Khudadadi obtained by Reuters shed further light on her situation at home, where she told viewers “I am currently imprisoned inside the house… 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”.

The IPC has declined to reveal where specifically the athletes were taken to, with Spence stating: “There’s a lot of speculation going on where these Afghan athletes are. I’m not going to tell you where they are because this isn’t about sport, this is about human life and keeping people safe”.

Australian broadcaster ABC nonetheless reported that the pair may have arrived in Australia on Monday, as part of a larger refugee group of mostly female Afghan athletes.

The athletes in question came to Australia after a team of local volunteers – including human rights lawyer and retired Olympic swimmer Nikki Dryden, Human Rights for All director Alison Battisson and former Australian national soccer captain Craig Foster – successfully lobbied their government to take in over 50 sportspeople from Afghanistan perceived to be most at risk from the Taliban.

Members of the Afghanistan women’s national football team, as well as officials and families of the players, are some of those known to have been part of the group. Professional football players’ union Fifpro was among those instrumental in arranging the evacuation, as were Khalida Popal, Kelly Lindsey and Haley Carter, who were all involved in coaching or managing Afghanistan’s team in the past.

Without detailing the identities of those brought to Australia, Fifpro released a statement today saying: “We are grateful to the Australian government for evacuating a large number of women footballers and athletes from Afghanistan. These young women, both as athletes and activists, have been in a position of danger and on behalf of their peers around the world we thank the international community for coming to their aid.”

“There remains much work to do to support and settle these young women and we urge the international community to make sure that they receive all the help they need. There are also many athletes still at risk in Afghanistan and every effort should be made to offer them support.”

It is expected that many more Afghan athletes, particularly women, will attempt to escape their country now that the Taliban is in power.

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