Afghan Paralympic Athlete Pleads for Help to Leave the Country

Amid the fear and turmoil in Afghanistan, the country’s two Paralympic athletes have been prevented from traveling to the Games in Tokyo that begin next week.

A day after the Afghanistan Paralympic Committee said its two athletes would not participate because of the difficulty in getting out of the country, one of them, Zakia Khudadadi, a taekwondo athlete, released a video pleading for help.

In the video released Tuesday from Kabul, Khudadadi said, in a translation by Reuters: “I am currently imprisoned inside the house. I cannot even go outside around this house with confidence.”

“My intention is to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Please hold my hand and help me.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/sports/olympics/afghan-paralympic-athlete-video-khudadadi.html