IPC President reunites with Tokyo 2020 Paralympians from Afghanistan

On Sunday (9 July) in Paris, France, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons enjoyed an emotional reunion with Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli, the two Para athletes evacuated from Afghanistan ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The meeting in the French capital was the first time the trio had come together in person since Tokyo 2020 and was an opportunity to discuss how their lives had changed over the last two years.

Andrew Parsons said: “Although I’ve been receiving regular updates on the progress of Zakia and Hossain, there was nothing better than hearing from and meeting them in person.  It was fantastic and very emotional to spend quality time with them.

“During the meeting we remembered the events surrounding their participation at Tokyo 2020, and what they have been doing since the Games.  We also discussed how they are adapting to living in France, the challenges they are facing, and what help or support the IPC or the Paralympic Movement could provide them with.

“Zakia is still training hard at the National Institute of Sport Expertise and Performance (INSEP) in Paris, competing in Para taekwondo competitions and teaching sport at a refugee camp. Hossain has just started work in his first-ever paid job, which is absolutely wonderful, and continues to train at a Para athletics sports club.”

At Tokyo 2020, Khudadadi competed in the women’s K44 -49kg weight event in Para taekwondo, becoming Afghanistan’s first female athlete to compete at a Paralympic Games since Athens 2004. Although a sprinter normally, due to his delayed arrival in Tokyo, Rasouli participated in the men’s long jump T47.

Thanks to global support from several individuals, organisations and governments, both were safely evacuated from the Afghan capital Kabul in the week prior to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.